Communicate and work with community stakeholders (AGR ACO 105 0311)

Effective working relationships are critical to your success as a professional.

There are many different working relationships that take place within each
individual campaign you will work on, from colleagues to clients and journalists and suppliers.
In this part of the unit we will explore how establishing good working relationships relies on a
culture of cooperation where each person within the relationship is working towards the
achievement of common goals, how to best set and communicate these goals, and how to
manage conflicts of interest.
1 Benefits of good working relationships
The main benefits of building good working relationships with your colleagues are as follows.
 It helps to develop your working practices to understand the points of view of your
colleagues and to understand why they do things a certain way.
 It spreads good practice throughout an organization.
 It improves your networking skills, which are vital for career development.
 You are able to improve your decision making by having a wider access to information
about all aspects of your PR campaign.
The main benefits of building good relationships with your stakeholders are:
 Informed decision making for your strategic plans
 Cooperative solutions to an organization’s goals
 Increased organizational effectiveness
 Improved corporate reputation
 Avoidance of negative press.
2 Agreeing a common purpose

To develop good working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders, and to

avoid conflict, it is essential to share a common purpose. This may relate to a single
project goal or it may be the overall aim of a whole organization.
Communicating with colleagues and stakeholders is the only way of identifying and agreeing a
common sense of purpose.
Identifying a common purpose
Having identified your key internal stakeholders, you need to engage them in
discussion about your project or campaign plans. By doing this early on in your
project, you will be able to set SMART goals about how you would like each part of
your project to proceed. SMART goals are:
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable and agreed on
 Realistic and relevant
 Time-bound.
In order to identify and agree a common purpose, you must discuss:
 each stakeholder’s goals
 the objectives they see as needed to meet the goals
 how individuals and teams will work together
 explicitly what your goals are, and the objectives you must meet to achieve
them.
Be specific and state how you would like your colleagues and (if relevant) external
stakeholders to assist you with these goals. Once you have done this you can
agree on achievable team and individual roles within the project.
Career development.
Link
Communicating effectively in public relations
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders that everyone within the project agrees
on how they will measure the success of their output. This could be, for example, in pieces of
coverage achieved for a campaign. However, you must also ensure that these targets are realistic
– for example, are you really going to be able to secure 100 pieces of national coverage, and if
you are working on a campaign for a local shopping centre, would that even be relevant? Finally
your campaign milestones need to be identified and time bound.
You need to give yourself and your colleagues enough time realistically to complete tasks. If you
are working with external stakeholders, they may have other important dates you need to
consider. Once you have discussed your SMART objectives with your colleagues, you must
clearly agree on roles and deadline dates. It is often assumed that people understand what they
need to do or what is being asked of them, and this is where stakeholder conflict can arise. It is
better to create a short report agreeing on the common purpose and actionable points, and to
ensure each stakeholder is aware of it. You may need to explain what your areas of expertise are
and how these can be best used in your role.
Communicating with stakeholders
Once you have identified stakeholders and their importance, then you must start to think about
how to communicate with them, and what your message is for them. When working with internal
stakeholders, you must make sure that each person within a team is clear about their roles and
responsibilities. Within PR this is often the point of weekly team meetings. These can be small
and about specific accounts and campaigns; they are used to make sure that everyone is on track
and on time with their agreed objectives. Larger team meetings (often whole-agency meetings)
are used to see how all internal stakeholders are meeting broader aims and so that you can gain
an understanding of how shared resources are being utilized on a campaign. You need to think
clearly about what you want to say at meetings. This in turn will help give you the confidence to
make your point clearly. You can also think of communication with stakeholders as negotiations,
since you are each trying to reach the best possible outcome. This includes communicating with
your colleagues. While this is not necessarily a negotiation as such, each time you communicate
with a colleague you are interacting with them and building a (good or bad) relationship with
them. Each interaction contributes to a pattern of behavior or perceived behavior, between you
and your colleague; this builds the basis of your relationship. You either build trust in your
reliability and consistency to behave in a professional way, or undermine this trust. If you have
lost the trust of your colleagues you will be unable to persuade them of your point of view or to
do something for you. As a result you will have lost the ability to agree on or negotiate a
common sense of purpose.

Positive working relationships

Developing a positive relationship with all of your stakeholders is vital. If the stakeholder trusts
you or your organization, they will be more likely to compromise and work towards joint goals.
By listening to and building strong link
You will find more about using resources in understanding public relations campaign planning.
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders relationships with your stakeholders,
you can use them to help identify potential opportunities and threats for your organization.
Developing strong relationships with internal stakeholders also builds on your professional
network, which will help you throughout your career. Your communications strategy should
always be clear and easy to understand for everyone involved. You may have different
communications plans for different stakeholders within the same group. For example, you’re
overarching strategy for communicating with the local community could be ‘Help increase
participation in sport for 10–15-year-olds in the local community by 20 per cent over the coming
year’. Your communications plan will set out the details of how, when, what and to whom you
will communicate. You will have different communications plans for working with local sports
clubs, councils and young people. To help external stakeholders and an organization work
together and to create a common sense of purpose, the organization must have the following.
1 Good strong leadership – leaders should have a clear set of priorities and create a shared vision
of how to achieve these. They should communicate these priorities directly and indirectly to
stakeholders via their employees.
2 Staff – good stakeholder relationships are built up over many day-to-day interactions. Staff at
all levels need to be credible and consistent, and share their organization’s objectives.
3 Communication – organizations need to communicate their objectives well both internally and
externally. They should conduct real, two-way conversations with their stakeholders, listening to
them and providing feedback.

Leadership of organization should: Have a clear purpose; efficiently meet objectives; share
campaign success criteria; add value
Communication should be: Two-way; relevant; regular and consistent; formal or informal
depending on situation
Staff should: Be well trained and knowledgeable; stay consistently on message; have corporate
memory Organization and stakeholder common purpose
Conflicts of interest with stakeholders
One of the key issues when trying to agree on a common purpose with stakeholders is dealing
with the inevitable conflicts of interest. There are three main strategies for dealing with these.
1 Early intervention: if you identify the conflict early, you can prevent it from becoming an
entrenched view and the situation growing out of control. By using issues management skills,
you should be able to identify what these conflicts might be before entering into the
communication process with your stakeholder, which would then give you the opportunity to
intervene early.
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
2 Clear communications: as noted above, if there is clear communication then you have the
building blocks in place for a positive relationship with your stakeholder. If you have this
positive relationship then you should be able to talk through your conflicts of interest and find a
common purpose to agree on.
3 Manage difficult behavior: if one of your stakeholders exhibits difficult behavior, it is your
job to keep calm and avoid behaving in an unprofessional way, such as shouting or using insults.
You should attempt to be assertive butuse neutral language to defuse aggression.
Activity
Using the example of participation in sport above, imagine that your organization/ client is a fast
food retailer who wishes to engage the local community’s youth in sport. List who your
stakeholders are and what each one wants to achieve.
 What is their common purpose?
 What conflicts might they have?
If as a part of the above campaign you wanted to run a competition in a local newspaper to give
away sports equipment, who might your internal stakeholders be? What objectives should you
agree with them to create an internal common sense of purpose?
Communicating a common sense of purpose to colleagues
Sharing objectives
As mentioned in the previous section, it is common practice in PR agencies to have formal and
informal team meetings to assess how a campaign is progressing. This is where teams feed back
to senior management what actions they are taking and planning to take to meet previously
agreed objectives. Senior management are interested in this not only to monitor your progress as
a junior member of a team, but also to see how the overall campaign is progressing within the
strategic direction of the agency. Some agencies may be happy to share their client billing totals
(the amount of money the agency bills the various clients annually) with their staff. This is a very
useful piece of information to communicate as it helps you to see your work in relation to the
agency’s bottom line. However, billing is not the only measure of success within an agency. If
the agency is trying to win more clients in a specific sector, it is helpful to know if and how your
campaign is contributing to this new-business wins. Agency meetings also serve the purpose of
allowing you to understand what your colleagues are working on and the time constraints and
resource issues they are dealing with. It is important to listen at agency meetings to what every
team member has to say. By having a clear understanding of each person’s roles and
responsibilities, you will be able to have a greater respect for what they are trying to achieve, and
understand how they fit into the bigger picture. In internal PR offices this is just as important, if
not more so. With internal communications you must have a clear idea of who is working on
which project within the organization and what they are trying to achieve in terms of the
Key term
Bottom line: – the net income that a company makes.
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders strategic direction of the organization.
Once you understand this, you will be able to communicate your role and how you are each
trying to achieve a common purpose. If you do not clearly understand your role within a
campaign and what your actions will do to help make it successful, ask your line manager to
explain to you. Only by understands this that you can be truly motivated.
Understanding competencies
A useful tool utilized in many agencies is a competency-based framework. This is used to link
the individual performance of an employee directly to the goals of the business. In fact this form
of communication and measurement is deemed so valuable that the PRCA (Public Relations
Consultants Association) have included it in their Consultancy Management Standard (CMS) as
a mark of consultancy and in-house PR excellence.
The competencies outline the behaviors that the organization values and requires in order to meet
their strategic objectives. By looking at these competencies, which outline the knowledge, skills
and attributes that employees need to perform their job properly, you can identify what impact
your own work is having on the overall strategic direction of the organization. Additionally team
members can work more effectively and achieve their potential by recognizing and respecting
the input of the whole team.
Clear communication
As well as having a clear communication message within your organization, it is important to
communicate clearly with your colleagues. For a team to work well, everyone in the team needs
to have their needs met. For example, you might become stuck on an aspect of a campaign and
require your colleague’s help to finish it, but find your colleague is also busy. In this situation,
you need to communicate your time frame, and to find out if you can help them in return.
Alternatively you could ask them to recommend someone else who could help you. So in order
to communicate clearly with your colleagues you should:
 clearly state what it is you are asking for
 try to keep your communication as short as possible while including all of the
information required
 ask for further information/feedback if you have not received enough to move
forward with your project
 use formal (e.g. a meeting) and informal (e.g. talking to someone at their desk)
communication channels
 Listen and act on any information/feedback you are given.
Problems that may appear when you are communicating with colleagues include
the following.
 Overload – you may be given too much information and therefore not be able to process
it. In this instance you need to give feedback to that person and explain that you need to
hear the information again.
 Lack of clarity – the message may not be clear, it may be ambiguous and be
seen to mean different things to different people.
13: Develop working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
 Distance – if you are communicating with colleagues in different departments
or at different sites, you might not know them and their personalities and how they may react
to different situations as you would if you worked in close proximity with them. It would also be
difficult to have face-to-face communication, and this can cut down on understanding.
 Immediacy – telephone conversations may interrupt other business and you may not get
your colleague’s full attention, or they may lead to non-verbal responses such as
showing irritation that they have been disturbed.
 Non-verbal issues take over – emotions may override the information. This is often
particularly true if you are receiving negative feedback about work you have produced.
Conflicts of interest with colleagues
There will be times in your working life that you will disagree with colleagues. These may be
due to the communication issues noted above or they may be because of other issues noted
below. Whatever the reasons, it is important to recognize these conflicts of interest and how to
resolve them.
 Conflicts of interest – these do arise and it is important to deal with them
quickly and effectively.
 Limited resources – there are often limited resources within organisations and
there may be competition for them that leads to conflict of interest.
 Departmentalization – as seen earlier, your colleagues may include people
 in other departments. In larger organizations conflicts can sometimes occur when
departments become insular and do not like to communicate with other departments.
 Individual differences – sometimes two people just do not get along, for reasons such as
differing views or clashing personalities. It is important to recognize these problems
exist and address them in your working life. You need to act professionally in order to
get the work done.
Key questions to ask in professional relation (PR) campaign planning
Putting all of the above information together, you can create a plan to ensure that you and your
stakeholders are able to agree on a common purpose. You should begin each PR campaign or
project by asking yourself the following questions.
 Who do I want to get my message to?
What is my message?
 How does my work integrate with other departments or organizations?
 Who is paying for the project and who signs off budgets?
 How might I and others judge the success of a project, message or campaign?
 Which teams, suppliers or materials might I need to communicate with, and
how can I engage or source them?
 Who might disagree with the project or message?
Once you have answered these questions, made them into SMART objectives and created a
stakeholder map, you should be able to proceed with your campaign/ project with the help and
support of your stakeholders.
Activity
Think of a colleague who you work with. Using the points above, assess how effective your
communication is with them. Is there anything you could do to make your communication more
effective?
Working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
Working with people
Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
Unit Summary

This unit is about developing productive working relationships with colleagues, within your own
organization and within other organizations with which your organization works, and with
identified stakeholders. It involves being aware of the roles, responsibilities, interests and
concerns of colleagues and stakeholders and working with and supporting them in various ways.
The need to monitor and review the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and
stakeholders is also a key requirement of this unit. ‘Colleagues’ are any people you are expected
to work with, whether they are at a similar position or in other positions in terms of level of
responsibility, including
your manager. For the purposes of this unit, ‘stakeholder’ refers to individuals or organizations
that have a material, legal or political interest in or who may be affected by the activities and
performance of your organization.
Who is the unit for?
The unit is recommended for middle managers and senior managers.
Links to other units
This unit is closely linked to units A3. Develop your personal networks, B2. Map the
environment in which your organization operates, D1 Develop productive working
relationships with colleagues, D6. Allocate and monitor the progress and quality of work in
your area of responsibility and E14. Support team and virtual
working in the overall suite of National Occupational
Standards for Management and Leadership
Skills
Listed below are the main generic ‘skills’ that need to be applied in developing productive
working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. These skills are
explicit/implicit in the detailed content of the unit and are listed here as additional information.
Balancing competing needs and interest, Communicating, Consulting, Empathizing, Information
management, Leadership, Managing conflict, Monitoring, Networking, Obtaining feedback,
Presenting information, Prioritizing, Providing feedback, Problem-solving, Reviewing, Valuing
and supporting others
Outcomes of effective performance
You must be able to do the following:
1. Identify stakeholders and the background to and nature of their interest in the activities and
performance of the organization.
2. Establish working relationships with relevant colleagues and stakeholders.
3. Recognize and respect the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns of colleagues and
stakeholders and, particularly in situations of matrix management, their managers’ requirements.
4. Create an environment of trust and mutual respect where you have no authority, or shared
authority, over those you are working with.
5. Understand difficult situations and issues from your colleague’s perspective and provide
support, where necessary, to move things forward.
6. Provide colleagues and stakeholders with appropriate information to enable them to
perform effectively.
7. Consult colleagues and stakeholders in relation to key decisions and activities and take
account of their views, including their priorities, expectations and attitudes to potential risks.
8. Fulfill agreements made with colleagues and stakeholders and let them know.
9. Advise colleagues and stakeholders promptly of any difficulties or where it will be impossible
to fulfill agreements.
10. Identify and sort out conflicts of interest and disagreements with colleagues and stakeholders
in ways that minimize damage to work and activities and to the individuals and organizations
involved.
11. Monitor and review the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and
stakeholders, seeking and providing feedback, in order to identify areas for improvement.
12. Monitor wider developments in order to identify issues of potential interest or concern to
stakeholders in the future and to identify new stakeholders.
Working with people
Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
2Behaviours which underpin effective performance
1. You present information clearly, concisely, accurately and in ways that promote
understanding.
2. You show respect for the views and actions of others.
3. You seek to understand people’s needs and
motivations.
4. You comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations,
organizational policies and professional codes.
5. You create a sense of common purpose.
6. You work towards win-win solutions.
7. You show sensitivity to internal and external politics that impact on your area of work.
8. You keep promises and honour commitments.
9. You consider the impact of your own actions on others.
10. You use communication styles that are appropriate to different people and situations.
11. You work to develop an atmosphere of professionalism and mutual support.
Knowledge and understanding
You need to know and understand the following:
General knowledge and understanding
1. The benefits of developing productive working relationships with colleagues and
stakeholders.
2. Different types of stakeholder and key principles which underpin the ‘stakeholder’ concept.
3. How to identify your organization’s stakeholders, including background information and the
nature of their interest in your organization.
4. Principles of effective communication and how to apply them in order to communicate
effectively with colleagues and stakeholders.
5. Why it is important to recognize and respect the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns
of colleagues and stakeholders.
6. The importance of creating an environment of trust and mutual respect where you have no
authority, or shared authority, over those you are working with.
7. The importance of understanding difficult situations and issues from your colleague’s
perspective and providing support, where necessary, to move things forward.
8. How to identify and meet the information needs of colleagues and stakeholders.
9. What information it is appropriate to provide to colleagues and stakeholders and the factors
that need to be taken into consideration.
10. How to consult with colleagues and stakeholders in relation to key decisions and activities.
11. The importance of taking account, and being seen to take account, of the views of colleagues
and stakeholders, particularly in relation to their priorities, expectations and attitudes to potential
risks.
12. Why communication with colleagues and stakeholders on fulfillment of agreements or any
problems affecting or preventing fulfillment is important.
13. How to identify conflicts of interest with colleagues and stakeholders and the techniques that
can be used to manage or remove them.
14. How to identify disagreements with colleagues and stakeholders and the techniques for
sorting them out.
15. The damage that conflicts of interest and disagreements with colleagues and stakeholders can
cause to individuals and organisations.
16. How to take account of diversity and inclusion issues when developing working relationships
with colleagues and stakeholders.
17. How to recognize and take account of political issues when dealing with colleagues and
stakeholders.
18. How to manage the expectations of colleagues and stakeholders.
19. How to monitor and review the effectiveness of working relationships with colleagues and
stakeholders.
20. How to get and make effective use of feedback on the effectiveness of working relationships
from colleagues and stakeholders.
21. How to provide colleagues and stakeholders with useful feedback on the effectiveness of
working relationships.
22. The importance of monitoring wider developments in relation to stakeholders and how to do
so effectively.
Industry/sector specific knowledge and understanding
1. Current and emerging political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal
developments in the industry or sector.
2. Sector-specific legislation, regulations, guidelines and codes of practice.
3. Standards of behaviour and performance in the industry or sector.
4. The culture of the industry or sector.
5. Developments, issues and concerns of importance to stakeholders in the industry or sector.
Context specific knowledge and understanding
1. The vision, values, objectives, plans, structure and culture of your organisation.
Working with people
Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders
D2
2. Relevant colleagues, their work roles and responsibilities.
3. Identified stakeholders, their background and interest in the activities and performance of the
organization.
4. Agreements with colleagues and stakeholders.
5. The identified information needs of colleagues and stakeholders.
6. Mechanisms for consulting with colleagues and stakeholders on key decisions and activities.
7. The organization’s planning and decision-making processes.
8. Mechanisms for communicating with colleagues and stakeholders.
9. Power, influence and politics within the organization.
10. Standards of behavior and performance that are expected in the organization.
11. Mechanisms in place for monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of working relationships
with colleagues and stakeholders.
Unit purpose and aim
This unit will provide candidates with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to work
with individuals and groups who hold different remits and perspectives within and
outside of their own organization. Candidates will develop their interpersonal skills as
well as demonstrating leadership and problem-solving skills in resolving conflicting
views and building upon areas of consensus.
 How to develop guidance on managing the interaction and differing positions of
colleagues and stakeholders to promote trust between the parties
3 Be able to create an environment of trust and mutual respect with colleagues and
stakeholders
3.1 Review and revise the needs and motivations of colleagues and stakeholders
3.2 Demonstrate interaction with colleagues and stakeholders that allows respect for the
views and actions of others
This may include:
 How to analysis to stake holders and colleagues in appropriate formats to meet the
needs of the audience
 Methods of obtaining feedback from the various parties
- Demonstrate the importance of all of the views by:
- Networking
- Providing a balanced approach to resolving issues.
- Respecting the views of colleagues and stakeholders
 Leadership skills in:
- Managing areas of conflict
- Taking account of political or personal issues when dealing with colleagues and
stakeholders
- Avoiding outcomes which could be harmful to the organization
 Account for changes of perspective or operational or strategic reasons for not
achieving agreed outcomes
 Methods for communicating with colleagues and stakeholders so as to:
- Respect the requirements of their roles and responsibilities
- Respect their views and opinions
- Produce a sense of common purpose and fairness
- Minimize conflict
- Support
FOLLOW ROUTINE Instructions
There are some basic “rules” to participate in successful spoken messages and verbal
communication instructions:
• speak clearly and listen carefully to ensure information is understood
• ask questions and confirm the meaning of information to avoid misunderstandings
• maintain communication processes and follow instructions and procedures with all appropriate
people, to assist flow of work activities
• use workplace approved equipment and processes to convey information Verbal
communication in the workplace can include:
• shift handovers
• loudspeaker announcements
• telephone / radio transmissions
• meetings
• informal and formal discussions In all cases the sender should ensure verbal communication is
clear, concise and professional with attention to cultural differences. The receiver should give
appropriate feedback, listen actively and clarify any areas of uncertainty. Some facts to
remember when communicating verbally are that:
• The sender’s perception of the message can be different from that of the receiver.
• The self-esteem of both the sender and receiver can affect the perception of what is said and
how it is said.
• The attitudes of both the sender and receiver can affect what is said and how it is received.
• The environment in which the communication is taking place can significantly affect
communication. To communicate well you must be able to hear/understand properly.
• Our facial expression/s can affect the “meaning” of our words. Facial expression contribute
55% of the message.
• The way we speak contributes 38% of the message (our tone, volume and rate of speech).
• Only 7% of the message is conveyed by the actual words spoken
Make sure that in all communications you achieve the following basic standards .
1. Provide clear information: If your communication isn’t complete and accurate, it can cause
confusion instead of clarity. Carefully plan your communication to be sure you are passing along the
correct information and the right amount, so those you are communicating with understand what you
want to say.
2. Bring non-verbal and verbal communication together : Sometimes a person says one thing but acts
in a different way. For instance, it’s not uncommon to hear someone say “Yes” but shake his head
horizontally which indicates “No” in a non-verbal way. This sends mixed messages. Bring your
communication together by being conscious that your non-verbal and verbal messages are in agreement.
3. Listen: To effectively share information with another person, you have to hear what is being
communicated. Most conflict stems from poor listening. To help learn how to listen well, take time to
repeat what you hear from the other person to ensure clarity. This does not mean childish copying of
every word but a simple paraphrase to verify accuracy. This will cut down on conflict and vastly increase
the effectiveness of your communications.
4. Ask questions: Asking questions is a good way to verify what you hear so you respond appropriately.
Questions let the other person have the chance to clarify what they said. It also allows you to hear a
response in a different way or just hear it again in order to be sure of what you heard.
5. Let others talk: Have you ever been stuck in a meeting when only one person did all of the talking?
Some people even go so far as to ask a question and provide the answer? Few things are as irritating as
having a person dominate a conversation. A conversation is a two way event at a minimum. Remember to
let the others speak.
6. Engage in difficult conversations when necessary: Do you ever avoid saying what needs to be said
or avoid a difficult conversation altogether? Not saying something doesn’t make a situation go away.
Instead, things usually just get worse. Not communicating can also cause more stress and trauma in a
situation. Instead of avoiding difficult communications, sit down and plan out what you are going to say.
Make sure the tone you use is open and non-confrontational in order to encourage feedback from the
other person.
WRITTEN NOTICES AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTIONS
The type of written communication you use will depend on the area you work in and on your job
tasks. Communication by post seems to have waned with advancement of e-mail technology, but
there are still some forms of communication that are better addressed through the older, ‘snail
mail’ route. A personal letter or glossy brochure is often more effective for customers who prefer
a one to one approach. Notwithstanding that, email is fast becoming the primary means of
communication, not just between individuals on a social level, but within businesses. Within the
workplace, whether sending an internal or external email, it is important that the message is
constructed in a professional manner to give the correct impression on those receiving it. Poorly
worded or constructed emails can render an incorrect message, or give out the wrong tone.
Clearly email does not convey facial signals, and therefore messages written with one intent can
often be read as the opposite. Emails are also retained much longer than paper documents, so any
negative impression given can be lasting and irreparable. There are a few major do’s and don’ts
that will help ensure you are a successful email communicator:
DO
• Do always read, then re-read an email before sending it, to check spelling, grammar and tone.
• Do ensure that the content of the email is relevant and has an appropriate subject heading.
• Do ensure that contact details are appended to the email, so that those reading it can contact the
sender if required.
• Do be polite in all emails.
• Do scan any attachments for viruses before sending the email.
• Do be concise, use valid points and avoid lengthy ramblings.
DONT
• Don’t reply to a message when angry, as this may be regrettable later.
• Don’t type in capitals; this is considered to be shouting.
• Don’t send unsuitable attachments, as this could provoke complaints.
• Don’t make personal remarks about anyone in an email. This is extremely unprofessional.
• Don’t use email to discuss confidential information; it is not as secure as commonly perceived.
Apart from email there are many other forms of written communication used in the workplace.
These may include: letters and faxes, forms, reports and memos, minutes and agendas for
meetings, technical manuals , workplace policies and procedures, workplace signs, whiteboards
and pin-up boards for notices task instructions.
The workplace is always a professional environment. This means that each type of written
communication has an expected professional standard. Some of the basic expectations are that all
written communication:
• is simple and easy to understand
• is to the point and avoids unnecessary repetition or sentence “sprawl” (long rambling
sentences)
• avoids too many technical terms
 • avoids slang, offensive language and discriminatory, racist or sexist language Workplace
notices that are updated are often displayed on a whiteboard, pin up board or placed in staff
pigeon holes. Remember that these forms of communication are very public, can be seen by
people for whom they are not intended and can also cause confusion if they are out of date.
Work ethically

Ethics is not an easily defined term. At its highest level, ethical behavior consists of universal
principles underlining our rules of behavior. Ethics is a set of moral values held by an individual
or group. According to the Collins dictionary: values are the ‘moral principles or accepted
standards of a person or group’.

We all bring to our chosen area of work our own beliefs and values. We may need to modify
some of these beliefs in order to work comfortably and for the benefit of our clients in the work
setting. While this section will focus on ethical issues related to the CSI, you need to be aware of
personal values and how they might impact on your work as they are so closely related to ethics.

Protect the rights of the client when delivering services

Client rights are protected by legislation, codes of ethics and standards. From these,
organizations develop policies and procedures which are the guidelines that operate in the
workplace. Some examples of client rights are:

 the right to privacy

 the right to access all information held about themselves by the service
 the right to confidentiality
 the right to be treated with respect and dignity and to have their social, cultural and physical
needs met
 the right to informed choice
 the right to complain about the service being received
 the right to be informed about the service, policy, procedures, expectations and rules of the
service.

Use effective problem solving techniques when exposed to competing value

systems

Workers are in a relationship of trust with their clients and often also with the families of clients.
This important relationship can be easily damaged. Workers often face situations that involve a
conflict between the needs or behaviors of others and their own professional and personal values.
This is what we call an ‘ethical dilemma’”.
Ethical dilemmas are often situations where there is a clash of values, and you are required to
decide which value is the most important. As workers our own personal values can conflict with
the values of our profession and/or the values of our clients.

When we are faced with an ethical dilemma we can feel confused and unsure how to respond. As
a worker our primary responsibility is to safeguard the rights of our clients, but sometimes the
best way to do this is not always clear. Other workers, clients, carers or family members may see
the situation differently from us.

Principles of ethical decision-making

Ethical dilemmas are characterized by the ‘what if’ question and are often situations where there
seems to be no clear solution to the problem. So given the complex nature of ethical dilemmas,
how do we resolve them and respond professionally and appropriately with our clients and
colleagues?

All professional ethical codes and guidelines are based on care and respect for the client at all
times. In order to ensure that the decisions you make are ethical you need to:

 be very clear on the guidelines of your particular profession

 be familiar with and guided by all relevant legislation
 be familiar with and guided by all relevant standards which further define how the legislation is
applied
 be aware of your employing agency’s code of conduct, which is reflected in their policy and
procedures. This may be specifically linked to the client group you are working with
 demonstrate a commitment to a moral standard of professional behavior, which you uphold at
all times
 Have a system in place which allows you to explore all sides of an ethical dilemma and examine
the consequences of any action and/or decisions you may make.

While you explore and examine the ethical dilemma, it is important that you consult with your
colleagues, supervisor, director or supervisor. In discussing the dilemma with them you may
begin to see the situation more clearly.

You could also refer to the following model, which can assist you in dealing with ethical
dilemmas:

Ethical decision making model

The model as outlined below requires you to work through the following steps:

1. Identify the dilemma. Firstly you need to look at the dilemma and gather as much
information as you can to clarify the problem. For example consider if there are any legal aspects
to the issue or if the situation can be defined as an ethical dilemma. It might help to consult with
a work supervisor or colleague about it.
2. Apply the code of conduct or code of ethics. Once you have a clearer picture of the nature of
the problem you need to consult the code of ethics for your profession to see if there are clear
guidelines on how the issue should be addressed. Sometimes further exploration is required.
There may also be a code of conduct in your agency’s policy and procedures manual. Read this.

3. Determine the nature and dimensions of the dilemma and seek consultation. In this step
you will need to ask yourself questions such as: ‘What actions will have the least chance of
bringing harm to the client?’ ‘What decisions will safeguard the well-being of the client?’ ‘How
can I best promote self-determination?’

Sometimes the dilemma may involve other agencies or other professionals. This is a situation
where you must consult with your supervisor or director. Do not try to manage on your own! At
times the dilemma may involve your director or supervisor. If this occurs, it would be important
to raise your concerns with them directly. If you are unable to do this, it would be appropriate to
speak to someone outside the agency, such as a management committee member, a superior from
head office, a worker from an outside body or in extreme cases, the police. Appropriate people
are usually at least one level up from the person concerned and perhaps two levels up if you feel
that your immediate supervisor may be biased. It is therefore useful to know who people within
the service are and the organization’s relevant reporting system.

Be careful to protect the identity of the client in these situations unless they have given you
permission to release their personal information.

4. Generate possible actions. Brainstorm (with colleagues if you can) possible solutions to the
problem/dilemma.

5. Consider the possible consequences of all options and determine a course of action. This
stage involves looking at all the options and the consequences of actions for all relevant parties,
clients, colleagues, agency, profession etc.

6. Consider the rights and responsibilities of all people involved. It is critical to consider the
balance between rights and responsibilities of workers and clients. It is possible that as a worker
you may consider that a client’s actions may be putting them at risk of injury. The dilemma
arises out of the responsibilities of workers to maintain a safe environment for all clients while at
the same time maintaining the rights of clients to make informed choices which may have an
element of risk to attach to them.

This is called ‘dignity of risk’. It is important to consider this balance and choose alternatives
which uphold the rights of clients and allow them to accept personal responsibility for their
choices and actions.
7. Evaluate the selected course of action. Review your selected course of action. Be careful
that the action chosen doesn’t raise any new dilemmas!

8. Implement the course of action. You have worked through a process and should be able to
justify your actions and responses. It is always useful to reflect on the effectiveness of your
choices, once again with a supervisor or colleague if possible.

Ethical decision making model

There is also a common law responsibility of a duty of care towards clients. This duty exists and
is owed at all times by all staff catering for the needs of others. Ethical issues do arise from time
to time and it is up to you to be able to recognize it to then to be able to discuss the issue with an
appropriate person.
Ensure services are available to all clients regardless of personal values,
beliefs, attitudes and culture

In order to be an effective worker in the Community Services Industry (CSI) you must be able to
reflect upon and recognize your personal values and attitudes. Being able to identify how you
think and feel about certain issues, for instance, those related to older people and people with
disabilities will enable you to understand how your personal views might impact on your role as
a care worker. Being empathic, unbiased and non-judgmental are essential attributes if you
intend to work in the community services field. It is important to understand your personal
values and attitudes because it enhances your professionalism and ethical work practice.

Definitions

Value

A value is defined as that which individuals, groups and communities view as important in life.
Values are part of each person’s belief system. They develop from rules learnt as we grow up,
and become internal messages about how we should behave and what we believe in.

We are all influenced in varying degrees by the values of our family, culture, religion, education
and social group. We unconsciously absorb values when we are young from the socialisation
processes we undergo. During adolescence we consciously explore our values and after self-
evaluation and gaining information we start to develop our own values. As people grow older,
values will be altered through personal experience. Since each person has a different life
experience and family background, their values will also be different.

Attitude

An attitude is defined as a belief and describes what we think is the proper way of doing or
thinking about something. Attitudes vary in intensity. When we feel strongly about something
they are called values. Attitudes that are less important to us are called opinions.

Stereotype

A stereotype is a simplified image that develops when you group people together on the basis of
a similarity or characteristic. For example an image that comes to mind when you think about
‘the elderly’, ‘politician’, ‘Aboriginal’, ‘Muslim’, ‘teenager’, ‘single parent’, ‘drug addict’
‘alcoholic’ or a ‘disabled person’ is probably a stereotype. You may only know one or two
people from each group and sometimes none at all but to simplify things you assume that most
people from that group are the same. This is also called homogenizing.

We all bring to our work our own attitudes and values. In the CSI, being an effective worker will
sometimes involve the challenge of moving beyond our own values and attitudes and seeing a
perspective different from our own. We will be challenged to establish an effective working
relationship with clients of different age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and religious
affiliation, with different values and beliefs.

Diverse values

Views about drug use, culture, sexual preference, politics and gender roles will always be present
in one way or another, so we all need to be aware of the impact our values have on processes
inside and outside of the workplace. We do not all think about and respond to issues in the same
way!

Values influence the choices you make. As a care worker in the CSHI you will be constantly
faced with choices on a daily basis:

 Which job should be completed first?

 How should you respond to clients’ needs?
 What are your priorities when work and personal life conflict?

Different values can create competing needs for you in the workplace. Your values about older
people, people with disabilities, people with alcohol and other drug issues, your caring duties,
your honesty, your work ethic, your acceptance of other people’s values may all differ from your
work colleagues’ values. They may also be different to the standards and policies of your
organisation.

Stereotypes

As previously defined a stereotype is a simplified image that develops when you group people
together on the basis of a similarity or characteristic. Negative images or stereotypes of older
people and people with disabilities influence the way we think about ageing and disabilities.

False beliefs

Some of these misconceptions of older people and people with disabilities include:

 being dependent
 incapable of contributing to the community
 unproductive
 living on the pension
 being in need of services
 ending up in nursing homes
 having poor health
 being a burden on family
 being unable to work.

Over time these images develop into false beliefs or myths that come to represent what it’s like
to be olderor to have a disability, living in our society. This not only affects the way people feel
about themselves but also impacts on their quality of life. The media play a major part in
perpetuating negative images, by portraying older people and people with disabilities as victims,
as being lonely, being poor, unhealthy, unfit, depressed and inactive.

These negative images are stereotypes. The reality is that the vast majority of older people and
people with disabilities would fit into the opposite category! Unfortunately, those stereotypes are
believed to be true by the community at large, including care workers and even older people
themselves.

Pre-existing beliefs

As a worker in the CSI, the pre-existing beliefs you may have could be related to stereotypes that
have developed for you around issues like sexuality, alcohol and other drugs, ageing and
disabilities, independence, health, the rights of people, your idea of health and what it’s like to be
older and/or disabled.

These stereotypes could affect the way you interact and work with clients. This is because you
have assumptions about what your clients can and can’t do for themselves, the way they should
think about issues and what is best for them. If you make assumptions as a worker then you are
denying clients their rights, respect and dignity. As a worker this would be regarded as a breach
in your duty of care towards clients.

Work practice and stereotypes

It is important that you explore your personal beliefs and become more aware of the way you
view older people and people with disabilities. This will assist you in your work to:

develop objectivity and avoid stereotyping

develop a better understanding of clients as individuals

identify individual needs and use a client centered approach

encourage clients independence

improve communication skills

plan and implement services appropriately

work professionally and ethically.

Tip: Don’t allow stereotypes to cloud your vision!

Discrimination

This section will explore some strategies for developing cultural sensitivity and effective
communication practices with older people from culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)
backgrounds. You will also gain an understanding of why it is important to accept the cultural
and spiritual practices of clients in the workplace.

As a care worker you must understand the implications of anti-discrimination legislation. Every
day at work you will be in dealing with people from varied backgrounds and different issues. By
being aware of the anti-discrimination guidelines you will be a more effective worker.

Many Australians frequently stereotype other Australians from marginalized or minority groups.
These groups include people from non-Australian or CALD backgrounds that do not fit a typical
‘Australian stereotype’. We often form a negative view about people we think are different. This
contributes to their isolation from community life.

Care workers often use culturally inappropriate attitudes even when they are trying to be helpful.
These stereotypes and attitudes are often based on assumptions and false beliefs because of what
we have seen in the media, or from stories we’ve heard from other people. Care workers often
just lack knowledge and sensitivity about culturally appropriate ways of working with CALD
groups.

Being fair and consistent

It is essential that workers be fair and consistent when working with clients. This means not
letting your personal biases and opinions impact on the way you interact with clients, regardless
of their race, culture, religion, gender, age, disability or even the way they look. If we treat some
clients differently based on any of the areas mentioned above then we are being discriminatory.
Discrimination is illegal in Australia—you can be sued if you discriminate against people in any
of these ways.

It is essential you know about the anti-discrimination laws that exist in Australia if you intend to
work as a care worker with older people and people with disabilities. Anti-discrimination also
forms part of care workers’ requirements for working in an ethical and professional manner.

Developing cultural sensitivity

There are a number of steps we can take as care workers in the CSHI to develop cultural
sensitivity with clients from CALD backgrounds:

 Identify our attitudes and values before entering the workplace.

 Try not to make value judgments about what is right and wrong for other people.
 Communicate directly with the client, using an interpreter if needed, and take the time to get to
know them.
 Encourage the client to communicate in their first language if they feel more comfortable doing
so.
 Communicate and respond to the client in a professional manner regardless of your opinions
about their behavior and values.
 Try to imagine what life is like from the client’s perspective.
  Keep in mind that the client has the right to respect and dignity; this includes respecting their
choices.
 Avoid stereotyping and labeling of the client’s behavior.
 Record only factual information about the client, not opinions.
 Obtain information about clients from as many other sources as possible: read social history,
care plan, talk to co-workers, family members etc.
 Research the client’s culture, lifestyle practices and religion.
 Check whether your observations are similar to those of your work colleagues.

 s cultural and spiritual practices.

Ethical dilemmas are recognizable by the fact that there are at least two sets of values involved,
and you are being asked to decide which is most important. Being faced with conflicting values
usually gives us a sense of confusion and makes us feel unsure. You need to ask yourself: what is
the most important point (ie obligation, value, need, issue, etc) here?

As a worker your primary responsibility is to safeguard the client’s rights, but sometimes the best
way to do this is not always clear. Other workers, careers or family members may see the
situation differently. The situation may not be clear-cut.

Ethical dilemmas can be roughly categorized in the following ways:

 Competing values – for example, you may be working with a young person who is abusing
drugs. You have to acknowledge your client’s right to self determination (which would be the
case for not intervening) versus the value of protecting human life (the case for intervening).
 Multiple client system – Your client may have certain priorities and concerns, but there may be
parents/carers in the client’s life who view the situation differently and have conflicting
concerns. To whom does the worker owe the primary obligation? The answer should of course
always be the client, but this is not always straightforward especially when the client may be
reliant on others to care for them. An example is an ageing person wanting to stay in their own
home while family members want them to move to an aged care facility.
 Value dilemma – This is where your own personal values may conflict with the action you need
to take. For example you have been working with a client for a number of months. At times the
client can be difficult. Her family appears very supportive of her, is friendly and seems to do a lot
for her often in very difficult situations. Recently however your client has been telling you that
her mother has been taking money from her and hit her on one occasion. You know that this
situation should be reported but on the other hand you really like your client’s mother and are
also aware that the family is operating under stress. You have the dilemma of wanting to cause
the least harm to the family, but have the legal responsibility to act appropriately.

Ethical dilemmas are recognizable by needing to ask the ‘But, what if …?’ question and the
feeling of confusion or tension around how to respond.

Recognize unethical conduct and report to an appropriate person

Unethical conduct is when you can see that another person is not adhering to professional ethics
and is behaving in a way that puts clients at risk.
Examples of unethical conduct could include situations when:

 a fellow worker is overheard gossiping about a client at the local pub

 a fellow worker is openly intolerant of other cultures and says negative things about
people belonging to different cultures
 two workers argue with each other in front of clients.

A code of ethics helps us to identify unethical situations, and is therefore important to think
about regularly. It should never be a dead piece of paper stuck at the back of the filing cabinet.

Reporting unethical conduct

When you recognize another worker’s unethical act, your first option is to confront the worker
yourself and discuss the issue. If that is not successful you may need to report the unethical
conduct to someone in higher authority. You will certainly need to report the conduct if the
rights of others, as outlined in the code of ethics, are not being respected.

When reporting unethical conduct, you need to be clear:

 who was involved

 when the incident(s) occurred and who else was present
 the grounds on which you believe the conduct to be unethical, and
 what other actions you have taken eg spoken to the person.

Code of ethics

A professional code of ethics is a set of guidelines that outlines the expected behavior of
workers. It exists to ensure that clients’ rights are protected and to ensure that there is
consistency and credibility in professional practice.

Ethical guidelines allow us as workers to operate by a professional set of guidelines rather than
what we personally think is right or wrong.

In the CSI, organizations have codes of conduct which steer ethical practice. The code of
conduct relevant to your service or profession provides specific guidelines for individual staff
behavior in the service. Along with professional codes of ethics, these tools assist workers in
having a framework for guiding their behavior within their profession, to do what is best for
clients. It outlines what a worker’s responsibilities are to clients and their families, their
colleagues, the community and to the profession.

An acceptance of the code of ethics by workers ensures that the safety, wellbeing and rights of
clients are being actively considered in the workplace at all times.
The code of ethics relevant to your client service or profession provides specific guidelines for
individual staff behavior in the service.

Workers are in a relationship of trust with their clients and often also with the families of clients.
This important relationship can be easily damaged. Workers often face situations that involve a
conflict between the needs or behaviors of others and their professional and personal values,
called ‘ethical dilemmas’.

The code of ethics provides workers with a framework for guiding their behavior within their
profession, to do what is best for clients. It sets out the obligations and responsibilities of those
working with clients and their families. It also states the responsibilities workers have to their
colleagues, the community and to their profession.

Why work within the code?

An acceptance of the code of ethics by workers ensures that the safety, well-being and rights of
clients are being actively and continually considered within the workplace.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is the protection of personal information. Confidentiality applies to all

information that a client or other care worker tells you verbally or gives you in writing. It also
applies to things that you learn through observation. All information in a person’s health care
record or file is confidential and may not be disclosed without permission from the client or their
guardian. Information may be shared with other team members but only when they need the
information in order to provide proper care.

It's helpful to take a high level perspective on personal development, looking broadly at all the
important skills. This can help identify areas you may be weak in, and serve as a mental checklist
to help you focus. While this is not an exhaustive list of elements important to personal
development, these are some of the most important.

1. Continuous Learning: Take responsibility for your own lifelong personal development,
knowing that it’s the secret to success in all areas of life, and your most valuable asset. Your
knowledge and experience is personal wealth you can never lose.

2. Positivity: Find the positive aspect in everything, accepting what cannot be changed, and
acting on what can, towards a positive result. Don’t let circumstances drive your state of being,
let your state of being drive your results. Smile and use humor to help drive a positive attitude
and share it with others.
3. Personal Excellence: Strive to do your best in everything you do. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth
doing well. Not only to achieve superior results, but so that if you fail you can remain positive
rather than wishing you had tried harder. Look to be creative in your personal excellence rather
than follow the safest, lowest risk path.

4. Honesty: Maintain honesty and integrity in all that you do. Trust and respect by others is hard
earned, yet can be permanently lost over the smallest lie. Decide that honesty is one of your core
values, and stick to it at all costs.

5. Know Yourself: You are a unique individual with your own strengths and weaknesses, all
others have these also. The difference with a successful person is they have learned to leverage
their strengths, and to identify their weaknesses so they can improve those areas through learning
and practice. Accept yourself as you are without comparison to others, if you look you will find
much about yourself to be proud of and thankful for.

6. Appreciate the Moment: Seek happiness in the present moment, even in the simple things
around you such as nature, a good conversation, or a good meal. Excessive contemplation on the
past or future steals this appreciation from you. Some techniques to support this is getting out in
nature, and meditation.

7. Communicate Well: Learning to communicate well with others is an essential skill, which
includes speaking, writing, listening well, and body language. Nearly everyone can still find
areas to grow with these skills, and should receive constant attention. Becoming a good listener
is one of the top areas of improvement you should seek, become truly interested in other people
and it will work wonders.

8. Embrace Mistakes: Mistakes are a prerequisite to personal development; you must choose
either courage and success, or safety and being average. Mistakes are a learning opportunity so
long as you are not repeating your mistakes, if you have learned from a failure then pat yourself
on the back. Carry this to other’s mistakes also; forgive them with this understanding in mind.
9. Embrace Change: Change is a constant part of life, and integral to personal development and
success. Become excited about change, and look to it with a positive attitude. Be a leader by
being the initiator of positive change. If you fear change, then you fear personal development, as
self improvement is about changing yourself.

10. Increase Your Value: Know that personal development is not a selfish activity; rather it
increases your value to others, ranging from relationships, business, and career. Too many
people focus on changing others, which rarely works as well as changing yourself. Make a
difference externally by changing yourself internally.

11. Be Giving: Seek to be giving, compassionate, loving, yet humble, knowing you receive what
you give out. This is a secret to finding happiness in life.

12. Balance: Seek balance in all areas of life, considering family, relationships, career, business,
health, leisure, and spirituality.

13. Gratitude: Be thankful for the gift and opportunity of life. If you have a spiritual belief,
pursue the core tenets of the teachings and make them part of who you are.

14. Find Your Excitement: Find things in life that excite you, and act on them. Embracing things
which excite and motivate you will move you more quickly into success and happiness, and
attract the things you need to get there. This attitude will support and integrate with all the above
tenets.
Personal development is a lifelong process which enables people to assess their skills and
qualities, to consider their aims in life and to set goals which will help them to maximize their
potential.  Although early life development and early formative experiences within the family, at
school, etc. can help to shape us as adults, personal development should not stop later in life. 
This page contains information and advice that is designed to help you to think about your
personal development and ways in which you can work towards goals and your full potential.
A Theory of Personal Development

There are many ideas surrounding personal development, one of which is detailed below -
Abraham Maslow's process of Self Actualization.

Self Actualization

Maslow (1970) suggests that all individuals have an in-built need for personal development
which occurs through the process called self-actualization.

The extent to which people are able to develop depends on certain needs being met and these
needs form a hierarchy.  Only when one level of need is satisfied can a higher one be developed. 
As change occurs throughout life, however, the level of need motivating someone’s behavior at
any one time will also change.

 At the bottom of the hierarchy are the basic physiological needs for food, drink, sex and sleep,
i.e., the basics for survival. 
 Second are the needs for safety and security in both the physical and economic sense. 
 Thirdly, progression can be made to satisfying the need for love and belonging. 
 The fourth level refers to meeting the need for self-esteem and self-worth.  This is the level
most closely related to ‘self-empowerment’. 
 The fifth level is the need to know and understand the environment; this level includes more
abstract ideas such as curiosity and the search for meaning or purpose. 
 The sixth relates to aesthetic needs of beauty, symmetry and order.  At the top of Maslow’s
hierarchy, is the need for self-actualization. 

Maslow (1970, p.383) says that all individuals have the need to see themselves as competent and
autonomous, also that every person has limitless room for growth. 

Self-actualization refers to the desire that everybody has ‘to become everything that they are
capable of becoming’.  In other words, it refers to self-fulfillment and the need to reach full
potential as a unique human being.

For Maslow, the path to self-actualization involves being in touch with your feelings,
experiencing life fully and with total concentration.

Practical Steps to Personal Development

Practical steps can be taken to enhance personal development, including:

 Organizing your time.

 Producing a personal CV or résumé.
 Undertaking a skills appraisal.
 Looking at your transferable skills.
 Overcoming barriers to learning a new skill.
Organizing Your Time

If you are considering making changes in your life, finding additional time often poses a
problem.  It could be that the changes you are thinking of making are to ensure you have extra
time to:

 Spend with your family.

 Spend on things you enjoy doing.
 Devote to your work.
 Devote to your education.

Whatever the reason, looking at how you spend your time will encourage you to think of ways
your time could be managed more effectively.

Our pages: Time Management and Minimizing Distractions give further information about
how you may manage your time more effectively, these include:

 Learning to say 'no' to jobs or requests that you feel are not your responsibility.
 Learning to delegate – sharing jobs can be fun and will leave you with more time. See
our page, Delegation Skills.
 Making a ’to do’ list of tasks you need to do each day/week, ticking off tasks that you
complete.
 Giving up things you do not really want or need to do.
 Identifying your high and low times of the day.  Everyone has a time when he/she feels
more or less energetic.  Try to do the most demanding tasks when you have the greatest
energy as you will do them more quickly, thereby releasing more time to spend on other
things.

For many people their personal development will involve setting goals; these might be to change
behavior - as in looking at their time management - learning new skills or advancing their career.

Many employers are looking for the same sorts of skills. These include good communication
skills, the ability to work as part of a team and the ability to learn – these are often termed ‘Soft