Glossary of technical terms and FAQs
Work ethic- set of values based on hard work and diligence.
Soft skills- these are personal attributes, habits and attitudes that make someone a good or bad employee.
Goals- this is something to aim for, provide direction to our work
Strategy- it is a plan of our work, some rules that we are going to follow in order to work the best efficiently.
Objectives- more specified goals. This is also something to aim for but more strict. For example loosing weight may be a goal for someone but loosing 20 kilos will be an objective because it is more specified.
Prioritizing- ability to choose the most important tasks that need to be finite sooner than the others so that the work is done most effectively.
Diary- this is a diary in which are recorded all the important events, meetings and important notes. Usually it is divided into: months, weeks, days and hours. It is used for organizational purposes and to listing everything that people were doing or will be doing that day.
Targets- objective that we set to become better in something. It is also something to which we aspire, a benchmark that helps us to overcome difficulties.
In-tray- this is a special shelf for documents or an electronic inbox.
Independence- ability to independently perform our work without the supervision of other people. Solving problems without the advice of other people, the effective execution of tasks commissioned by the employer and the self-organization of our workplaces. Having the right skills and knowledge in order to not need constant assistance of other people.
Facts- these can be true or false; type of information that can be proved.
Opinions- there are as many opinions as many people on the planet. Everyone has something to say about different topics, there is no right answer, everyone is right to explain what he thinks about various facts. Opinions may vary because of: the age of the person, religion and beliefs, whether is male or female, experience, knowledge etc.
Summarize- main points of the talk/text.
Paraphrase- repeating something using different words.
Open questions- type of question that can be responded in various ways, frequently used to pick up the conversation, for example asking about someone’s opinion.
Closed questions- we use this type of question if we want to hear clear and strict answer, for example Yes or No.
Probing questions- if someone’s answer doesn’t satisfy us and doesn’t explain much what we asked, we can ask again using probing questions to get information that we really need.
Frequently asked questions
Q1 What are the main attributes that employers seem to be seeking in a prospective employee?
Attributes that employers are seeking in a prospective employee are: planning and organizational skills as well as a good time management; Ability to work in team, essential knowledge such us verbal and written communication skills, numeracy and creativity skills.
Q2 What are “soft” skills and why do employers value them so much from prospective employees?
Employeers don't want to waste their time and money so they expect from their employees professionalism and full commitment to work. Certain behaviors, manners and habits have a huge impact on the work they perform so employers only choose those people who have positive attitude. To 'soft skills' we include for example: planning,organizing, time management, team work, verbal and written communication skills, numeracy skills and creativity
Q3 What are the main barriers to communication?
Main barriers to communication can be as follow:
-disability
-different language
-negative body language
-distractions
-background noise
-lack of concentration
-negative opinions and beliefs
Q4 What do the principles of communication depend upon?
Principles of communication depend upon the type of the communication that we are using in different situations. There are three main types of communication: general (any type of communication where there is audience), interpersonal (face to face) and written (emails, letters etc).
Q5 Why must you be sensitive to cultural differences or age differences in your audience?
To communicate with someone properly we have to consider his culture, age or the way he is and acts because otherwise we may offend or hurt him by saying something inappropriately . Respect to the other person is one of the most important things that we need to remember during the conversation. Certain behaviors and words that we use may not be accepted by others and will be received as offensive which will efect in making conversation difficult or even impossible.
Q6. Why is negative body language a barrier to communication?
Bad behavior during the conversation may affect our assessment in the eyes of another person and lead to interruption of the conversation or incomprehension. Negative manners, harshness, interrupting when someone else is talking is annoying and shows that actually we don't want to communicate with another person. This is one of the biggest barriers to communication.
