Therefore in this essay three topics very important in building personal skills. These are:1 Time management2 Active listening3 Non-verbal communication
COURSE: BSC/BSC (HONS)DEGREE IN BUSINESS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
YEAR: 1
SUBJECT: PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
ASSISGNMENT: 1
STUDENT NAME: TINUKE OLADUNJOYE
STUDENT NUMBER: 05359544
DATE: 12 DEC 2005
INTENDED AUDIENCE:
INTRODUCTION
Personal development is the study on how individuals develop their personal skills to meet up with their life goal. For every individual to achieve his/her goal there is need to develop or build ones personal skills. Therefore in this essay three topics very important in building personal skills. These are:
Time management
2 Active listening
3 Non-verbal communication
It is obvious to say that if you have poor interpersonal communications skills (which include active listening, time management, non verbal communication) your productivity will suffer simply because you do not have the tools needed to influence, persuade and negotiate - all necessary for workplace success. Lines of communications must be open between people who rely on one another to get work done.
This essay has been chosen because poor time management, active listening and non-verbal communication in a business environment brings big failure to the organization.
These topics will be covered fully to explain and analyze their importances in personal development. These topics will be covered as stated above.
Time management
There are definitions of time management
* Time management is the development of processes and tools that increase a business' time-efficiency
* The ability to manage and control time. The use of planners, calendars, and the like are effective tools in managing time. Implementing a routine is a method of scheduling actions which enforce a regiment to fit with a person's flow of work and production activities
* Time Management teaches a number of techniques that aim to increase the effectiveness of a person in getting the things done that need to be done. Time management is somewhat of a misnomer as time passes without regard to what we do; the only thing we can manage is ourselves. Hence time management is mostly about self management
Active listening
"Its about being able to tune in as fully as possible to the totality of the message being delivered, and in turn communicate back that level of comprehension"(Personal Development Student Handbook 2005-06,pg 50)
"Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding. Often when people talk to each other, they don't listen attentively"
(Divna Persic-Todorovic, Conflict Resolution Notes. Pp. 44-45.)
People are often distracted, half listening, and half thinking about something else. When people find themselves in conflict, they try formulates response on what is being said to them.
Non -verbal communication
This can also be known as body language because this a way to covey message through the use of our body.
"Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another. Most of us spend about 75 percent of our waking hours communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others. However, most of us fail to realize that a great deal of our communication is of a non-verbal form as opposed to the oral and written forms. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, and positioning within groups. It may also include the way we wear our clothes or the silence we keep". (G. W. Porter)
Time Management in Business ...
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"Communication is the transfer of information from one person to another. Most of us spend about 75 percent of our waking hours communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others. However, most of us fail to realize that a great deal of our communication is of a non-verbal form as opposed to the oral and written forms. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, and positioning within groups. It may also include the way we wear our clothes or the silence we keep". (G. W. Porter)
Time Management in Business Environment
Most business executives feel that number one problem they face is a lack of planning and time to think. Goal should be specific enough to face real life issues.
Time management focus on ones goals which provide the vision and motivation to see though task in business world today. Goal setting is the crucial - part in time management. Stephen Covey explains "goals give a framework for motivation and the important goal one need to make are those that are cover the broad area of our lives".
Goals:
The first step in learning to manage your time is controlling your life, to identify what your goals and priorities are. Its ideally sensible to distinguish the goal that are truly important(completion of a research project) from those that may seems urgent but not really important (arranging the weekend outings with buddies) It is not advisable to send an inordinate amount of time doing busy work that appears productive but only to keep one occupied.
Activities:
Another objective that helps in time management is to identify those activities that will help to achieve those goals that are important. It is important for business associated to keep record of activities to be done on a list where it could be seen daily because these activities are meant help to achieve goals. The secret to effectively managing time lies in planning, engaging in new opportunities, focusing on long term project. If focus on these listed activities, it will enhanced vision, perspective, balance, discipline, control, and has fewer crises. It is healthy to set time each day to work on something that is important but not necessarily urgent as a way of getting ahead. In doing so, it gives extra time later to handle the unexpected events that invariably happen to everyone.
Calendar/ To-do-List/Scheduling:
It is ideally to organise the day-to-day activities by the use of calendar, its help to work towards schedule. Logically if one fails to plan, there are high probabilities to fail. Time management planning can be handle individually, i.e. different people prefer to use a calendar rather than a To-do-List, and so to say others prefer to put all their activities on a scheduling list. It is handle according to the best suitable way of the individual.
Peter Drucker states that "time is the scarcest resource available." And yet many times our highest priorities are not reflected in our actual daily activities. it is wise r to review all calendar everyday, update the To-do-List and give more attention to scheduling goals.
Flexibility:
It is absolutely good to allow time for interruptions and distractions. Time management experts often suggest planning for just 50 percent or less of one's time. With only 50 percent of your time planned, you will have the flexibility to handle interruptions and the unplanned emergency. Flexibility enables one to handle any case of urgency or unforeseen event in life. This has a big impact on business executives because it gives them the ability to slot activities and events.
Do The Right Thing Right:
Noted management expert, Peter Ducker, says "doing the right thing is more important than doing things right." Doing the right thing is effectiveness; doing things right is efficiency. It is good to focus first on effectiveness (identifying what is the right thing to do), then concentrate on efficiency (doing it right).
Importance of Time Management to Business
Managing time is important for managers for various reasons. Getting tasks done right the first time saves the manager useful time that can be used on other tasks. Saving this time means saving time for the company. While time is an enemy for some, people who know how to use time wisely can truly say that time is on their side. Using effective time management practices will help ensure quality use of time as well as efficiency. If managers are aware of what tasks are important for themselves and their company and do not waste time on unimportant matters, they will have that extra time to focus on high priority matters. Once somebody learns to manage their time in a way that fits their ways they will be able to overlook the obstacle that time had previously placed on them. Many people often simply overlook or fail to realize why they feel pressured by time (Mayer, 1990).
Active Listening in Business Environment
In actual fact people speak at 100 to 175 words per minute, but they can listen intelligently at 600 to 800 words per minute. To listen actively, you should help the other person to speak, using attentive body language and encouraging words. Especially when they are uncertain, supporting them with nods 'yeses' and eyebrows raised in anticipation can be very effective. "Active listening has several benefits. First, it forces people to listen attentively to others. Second, it avoids misunderstandings, as people have to confirm that they do really understand what another person has said. Third, it tends to open people up, to get them to say more". (Divna Persic-Todorovic, pg 44, 1995)
In active listening, it is important that the listener have an orientation with the four qualities of empathy, acceptance, congruence and acceptance.
Four oriented qualities of Active listener
Empathy:
This is the desire and compassion of the listener to understand the recipient from the very point of view. This quality enables the listener understand the speaker's experience by given or show the feeling of "understanding". "The empathic listener tries to get inside the other's thoughts and feelings. The idea is to obtain an emic rather than etic understanding of the situation". (Communication in Organizations, by Dalmar Fisher). Empathy is surprisingly difficult to achieve.
Acceptance:
This means having respect for a person for simply being a person. As Rogers and Farson point out, "although it is most difficult to convince someone that you respect him by telling him so, you are much more likely to get this message across by really behaving that way...Listening does this most effectively". This attitude encourages the other person to be less defensive and to explore aspects of self and the situation that they might otherwise to themselves.
Congruence:
This also means corresponding, openness, frankness, and genuineness on the part of the listener. These types of listener are more in touch with themselves. They communicate what they feel and know, rather than hiding their feelings. Nevertheless when one person is open the other side is more likely to be open. These are more likely to interrogate the speaker to make people (speaker) feel they being heard. For example, an executive producer asking his assistant this question "How did you decide which method to use?" This is to show the attentiveness in him as a congruent listener.
Concreteness:
This is refers to concentrating or focusing on specifics rather than generalities. A listener tends to encourage concreteness by asking the speaker or recipient to be more specific. The listener also suggests a break on some pretext when an informal talk is lasting longer than finding it difficult to maintain intelligent interest.
Importance of Active Listening in Business
. Active listeners improve sensing by postponing evaluation, avoiding interruptions, and maintaining interest in organisational behaviour.
2. Active listeners empathize with the speaker and organize information received during the conversation.
3. An active listener motivates and directs the speaker's communication by showing interest and clarifying the message.
Non-verbal communication in Business
Burgoon & Hoobler communication experts define non-verbal communication as "nonverbal communication includes those behaviors that are mutually recognized and socially shared codes and patterns with a focus on message meaning" In general, nonverbal communication helps people accomplish various goals. First, we use nonverbal communication to create impressions. Physical appearance like kinesics and chronemics. Second, nonverbal communication is used to manage interaction. Facial expression, vocalics and proxemics. nonverbal communication is a primary means of expressing emotion.it also allow people to send relational messages. Finally non verbal communication is used to send messages of power and persuasion. Major areas of non-verbal communication behaviours are Eye contact, Facial expression??Gestures,??Posture and body orientation, Proximity, Paralinguistic, Humour
Eye contact:
Eye contact with audiences increases the speaker's credibility. It is an important channel of interpersonal communication; helps regulate the flow of communication.
Facial Expression:
This could be in form of smiling which bring happiness, friendliness, and affiliation. However smiling is more perceived as likable and friendly and approachable.
Gesture:
Gesture in communication improve the rate of interest and capture attention. It makes communication lively, interesting and entertaining.
Posture and body orientation:
Messages are convey by the way we talk, walk, stand or sit. Standing erect, not rigid and leaning slightly forward in communicating to business associates covey one to be more approachable and friendly.
Importance of non-verbal communication
* To function effectively as a team leader or manager must interact with the other member successfully with the use of non-verbal cues.
* Non-verbal communication between team in an organisation project attitudes and feelings which open up the group approval, growth, achievement and recognition.
* When team members in an organisation show true awareness of non-verbal cues, therefore the organisation will have better chance to succeed.
In conclusion
Its very important to have all these qualities of personal development skills, its aid develop, manage self management, learning and interpersonal skill.
REFENRENCE
Cottrell, S.,(2003),The Study Skills Handbook Planning Handbook, Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan.
Guirdham, M.(2002) Interactive Behaviour at Work, Harlow financial time Prentice Hall
Henry, C.,&William, B., (1967) Communication in Supervisory Management, Thomas Nelson
James, A., Jacquelyn Liss, R.,(2003) Time Management, Peabody Hall. Gainesville Florida
Payne, E.,&Whittaker, L.(2003) Developing Essential Study Skills, Harlow, FT Prentice Hall
Article
Cicca,A.H., Mary S.& Turkstra L.,(2003) Non-verbal Communication Theory and Application
Dalmar Fisher (2005) Communication in Organisations
Persic- Todorovic, Divna (1995) Conflict Resolution Working with Refugee, Conflict Resolution Notes.
Resources
MMU student Handbook (2005-06) Personal Development
www.mmu.ac.uk/academic/studserv/learningsupport //study skills/pub essays.html
Tinuke Oladunjoye 05359544
