Office Administration Exam

(1) The process of Communication generally involves five (5) steps.

Step 1- Sender has an idea. The form of idea maybe determined by the sender’s mood, frame
of mind, background, culture and physical makeup as well as the context of the situation.
Step 2- Sender encodes the idea in a message. A major problem in communicating any
message verbally is that words have different meanings for different people, that’s why
skilled communicators try to choose familiar words with solid meanings so both senders and
receivers agree.
Step 3- Message travels over a channel. This is where messages may be sent by computer,
telephone, letter or memorandum. They may also be sent by means of a report,
announcement, picture spoken word or fax because both verbal and non-verbal message are
carried. Senders must choose channels carefully. Anything that disrupts the transmission of a
message in the communication process is called noise.
Step 4- Receiver decodes message. Translating the message from the symbol form into
meaning involves, successful communication takes place only when a receiver understands
the meaning intended by the sender. Such success is often hard to achieve because no two
people share the same background and also success is further limited because barriers and
noise may disrupt the process.
Step 5- Feedback travels to the sender. The verbal and nonverbal responses of the receiver
create feedback, a vital part of the entire communication process. Feedback helps the sender
know that the message was received and understood. Senders can encourage feedback by
asking questions

(2) Four telephone Etiquettes and its explanation as to why it is important in the work
place.
(a) Do not yell- You must have reasonable tone of voice so that the person on the other
end of the line does not feel that they are being shouted at. This is important in the
work place because by you shouting it disrupts other persons in the work place from
focusing on their job or task.
(b) Don’t use slang- This is because it conveys a very unprofessional message to
customers. This is important in the work place because there maybe new workers on
the job and they think is ok to talk to customers in that manner.
(c) Have Patience- It is important to have patience and to be as helpful as possible when
you have an upset customer on the phone. Try to provide them with the appropriate
resources to remedy their issue. This is important in the work place because if not
handled professionally you could lose customers.
(d) Focus on the task at hand. When speaking to someone on the phone, you need to
remain focused on the call as opposed to what is going on around you. This is
important in the work place because if not focused wrong information could be given
to a customer and that could cause a disruption in services.
(3) There are three (3) types of filing. They are:

(a) Alphabetic Filing- A system for ordering topical headings in strict alphabetical
order this is used when filing records by persons names, business, institutes,
Government agencies, subjects, topics or geographic locations.
(b) Numeric Filing- Numbers are the primary means of the numerical filing system.
There are three types of numerical filing system-
Consecutive Numbering- this is system used either by subject or name, it starts
from one and increase by one unit.
(c) Deway Decimal System – this is essential for libraries.
(d) Terminal Digit System- This is essential for expediting reference and facilitating
the transfer of old documents.

(4) Communication Process is important because individuals that follow the

communication process will have the opportunity to become more productive in every
aspect of their profession and also effective communication leads to understanding.

(5) It is important to write the full date and not the abbreviation because it is potentially
confusing. In British English the order is date, month, year and in American English
the order is month, date, year.

(6) The importance of sequencing in letter writing is that it teaches readers to understand
the importance of order of events that helps them deepen their comprehension. It also
helps with the ability to correctly identify beginning, middle and end allows readers to
retell a narrative in a manageable way.

(7) Effective listening is actively absorbing the information given to you by a speaker,
showing that you are listening and interested and providing feedback to the speaker so
that he or she knows the message received.

(8) The way you dress is important in the workplace because if being poorly dressed or
less presentable could lead others to perceive you as lazy, unreliable or
unprofessional. Dressing like a professional can help you make major strides towards
landing partnerships that matter or getting new jobs or unlocking new opportunities.