Now that you have completed this workbook, you can review what you have learned against the objectives set for it. Our first objective was to:

Good management is impossible without effective communication, as management is the art of achieving results through people. If people aren’t given the information they need, then how can they be expected to understand and do what is required of them?

Your next objective was to:

The responsibility for communicating rests clearly with the sender of information. Most of the barriers are erected by the sender. Many of them have been referred to and illustrated in the text.

We have seen that an important way of preventing barriers from arising is to send the message using an appropriate channel of communication, so our next objective was to:

There is no perfect communication solution which will work in every situation and it is vital to choose the best channel, or combination of channels, for each individual need.

Having sent our message, we saw next how important it is to ensure that it has been both received and understood, so meeting our final objective, to:

Communication needs to flow in both directions between the sender and receiver of information. If feedback is not available, or is ignored, the quality and credibility of all information transmitted will deteriorate.

Use this plan to develop for yourself the course of action you want to take. Note in the left-hand column the issues or problems you wish to tackle; then decide what you intend to do and make a note in column 2.

The resources you need might include time, money, information or materials. You may need to negotiate for some of them, but they could be something that is easily acquired, like half an hour of somebody’s time, or a chapter of a book. Put whatever you need in column 3. No plan means anything without a timescale, so put a realistic target completion date in column 4.

Finally, describe the outcome you want to achieve as a result of this plan, whether it is for your own benefit or advancement, or a more efficient way of doing things.

Activity 17 on
page 32

Activity 18
on page 33

Activity 19
on page 34

1    have an open mind and let the speaker convince them that the topic is interesting

2    focus on the content of what is being said – treating the style as nothing more than traffic noise or radio interference

3    count to ten – using any device to ‘hold their peace’ until sure that the speaker will not deal with the points of concern

4    ensure that fatigue is not self inflicted through late nights, etc.

5    keep the mind active and open to learning new things

6    look at the speaker and concentrate on what is being said – that will stop the mind wandering

7    be fair minded and give the speaker the same chance that they would ask for themselves

8    look for some area of interest in the subject other than their own.

Answer 1    A  is for accuracy
B  is for brevity
C  is for clarity – the key aspects of all effective business communication.

Answer 2    Between ten and twelve members is the maximum desirable number.

Answer 3    1  No action required
2  Take action myself
3  Act through others – this should be your most frequent response.

Answer 4    Both the sender and the receiver of the message should have the same understanding of the code.

Answer 5    To send information to receivers, who need to do something as a result of being given the information.

Answer 6    Little and often is a good rule of thumb for briefings, so 5/10 minutes per week is much more likely to be effective than 45/60 minutes once a month.

Answer 7    Briefing individuals is ineffective and inefficient because it is likely that each individual will receive a slightly different message. In addition, the briefer will become bored and skimp on some aspects of the message.

Answer 8    Do I need to communicate this information at all? If the answer is ‘no’, then why am I doing it?

Answer 9    (2) Will it reach all the people who need to know?
(3) Can people deny having been told?

Answer 10    It is important, because people are far more likely to co-operate if they understand the reasons for your request.

Completion of this certificate by an authorized person shows that you have worked through all the parts of this workbook and satisfactorily completed the assessments. The certificate provides a record of what you have done that may be used for exemptions or as evidence of prior learning against other nationally certificated qualifications.