Field Technician Computing and Peripherals

situation, since there will still be bad feeling, but no clearing the air through discussion, andresults, in Transactional Analysis terms, in ‘I’m not OK, you’re not OK’.5) Smoothing Over the ProblemOn the surface, harmony is maintained, but underneath, there is still conflict.It’s similar to the situation above, except that one person is probably OK with this smoothing,while the other remains in conflict, creating a win/lose situation again. It can work wherepreserving a relationship is more important than dealing with the conflict right now, but is notuseful if others feel the need to deal with the situation.These five behaviours can be shown in terms of a balance between concern for self and concernfor others:

Communicate effectivelyCommunication is a key skill in almost anyjob, whether it’s computer hardware fieldtechnician or doctor or lawyer or any otherprofession. Every day we communicate withothers, whether it’s face to face, on thephone, or via email or instant message. Acomputer hardware field technician must beable to communicate effectively with clientsand co-workers to share information andsolve the problems that arise in theireveryday life.Communication (from Latin commūnicāre,meaning \"to share\") is the activity ofconveying through the exchange of ideas,feelings, intentions, attitudes, expectations,perceptions or commands, as by speech,gestures, writings, behavior and possibly by other means such as electromagnetic, chemical orphysical phenomena. It is the meaningful exchange of information between two or moreparticipants (machines, organisms or their parts).Communication requires a sender, a message, a medium and a recipient, although the receiverdoes not have to be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time ofcommunication; thus communication can occur across vast distances in time and space.Communication requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicativecommonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver understands thesender's message.

Common Barriers to Effective Communication:The use of jargon. Over-complicated, unfamiliar and/or technical terms.Emotional barriers and taboos. Some people may find it difficult to express their emotions andsome topics may be completely 'off-limits' or taboo.Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.Differences in perception and viewpoint.Physical disabilities such as hearingproblems or speech difficulties.Physical barriers to non-verbalcommunication. Not being able to see thenon-verbal cues, gestures, posture andgeneral body language can makecommunication less effective.Language differences and the difficulty inunderstanding unfamiliar accents.Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping. People oftenhear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and jump to incorrectconclusions.Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures, as do theway in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of personal space variesbetween cultures and between different social settings.

Top 10 Communication SkillsListeningBeing a good listener is one of the best ways to be a good communicator. No one likescommunicating with someone who only cares about putting in her two cents, and does nottake the time to listen to the other person. Instead, practice active listening. Active listeninginvolves paying close attention to what the other person is saying, asking clarifying questions,and rephrasing what the person says to ensure understanding (\"So, what you're saying is…\").Through active listening, you can better understand what the other person is trying to say,and can respond appropriately.Nonverbal CommunicationYour body language, eye contact, hand gestures, and tone all color the message you are tryingto convey. A relaxed, open stance (arms open, legs relaxed), and a friendly tone will make youappear approachable, and will encourage others to speak openly with you. Eye contact is alsoimportant; you want to look the person in the eye to demonstrate that you are focused on theperson and the conversation (however, be sure not to stare at the person, which can makehim or her uncomfortable).Also pay attention to other people's nonverbal signals while you are talking. Often, nonverbalsignals convey how a person is really feeling. For example, if the person is not looking you inthe eye, he or she might be uncomfortable or hiding the truth.Clarity and ConcisionTry to convey your message in as few words as possible. Say what you want clearly anddirectly, whether you're speaking to someone in person, on the phone, or via email. If youramble on, your listener will either tune you out or will be unsure of exactly what you want.Think about what you want to say before you say it; this will help you to avoid talkingexcessively and/or confusing your audience.FriendlinessThrough a friendly tone, a personal question, or simply a smile, you will encourage yourcoworkers to engage in open and honest communication with you. This is important in bothface-to-face and written communication. When you can, personalize your emails to coworkersand/or employees - a quick \"I hope you all had a good weekend\" at the start of an email canpersonalize a message and make the recipient feel more appreciated.

ConfidenceIt is important to be confident in all of your interactions with others. Confidence ensures yourcoworkers that you believe in and will follow through with what you are saying. Exudingconfidence can be as simple as making eye contact or using a firm but friendly tone (avoidmaking statements sound like questions). Of course, be careful not to sound arrogant oraggressive. Be sure you are always listening to and empathizing with the other person.EmpathyEven when you disagree with an employer, coworker, or employee, it is important for you tounderstand and respect their point of view. Using phrases as simple as \"I understand whereyou are coming from\" demonstrate that you have been listening to the other person andrespect their opinions.Open-mindednessA good communicator should enter any conversation with a flexible, open mind. Be open tolistening to and understanding the other person's point of view, rather than simply gettingyour message across. By being willing to enter into a dialogue, even with people with whomyou disagree, you will be able to have more honest, productive conversations.RespectPeople will be more open to communicating with you if you convey respect for them and theirideas. Simple actions like using a person's name, making eye contact, and actively listeningwhen a person speaks will make the person feel appreciated. On the phone, avoid distractionsand stay focused on the conversation.Convey respect through email by taking the time to edit your message. If you send a sloppilywritten, confusing email, the recipient will think you do not respect her enough to thinkthrough your communication with her.FeedbackBeing able to appropriately give and receive feedback is an important communication skill.Managers and supervisors should continuously look for ways to provide employees withconstructive feedback, be it through email, phone calls, or weekly status updates. Givingfeedback involves giving praise as well - something as simple as saying \"good job\" to anemployee can greatly increase motivation.

Similarly, you should be able to accept, and even encourage, feedback from others. Listen tothe feedback you are given, ask clarifying questions if you are unsure of the issue, and makeefforts to implement the feedback.Picking the Right MediumAn important communication skill is to simply know what form of communication to use. Forexample, some serious conversations (layoffs, changes in salary, etc.) are almost always bestdone in person. You should also think about the person with whom you wish to speak - if theyare very busy people (such as your boss, perhaps), you might want to convey your messagethrough email. People will appreciate your thoughtful means of communication, and will bemore likely to respond positively to you.Activity: Steps to improve your communication skills___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Positive Attitude & TeamworkAn attitude is an expression of favor or disfavor toward a person, place, thing, or event(the attitude object). Prominent psychologist Gordon Allport once described attitudes \"the mostdistinctive and indispensable concept in contemporary social psychology.\" Attitude can beformed from a person's past and present. Attitude is also measurable and changeable as well asinfluencing the person's emotion and behavior.In lay language, attitude may refer to the distinct concept of mood, or be especially synonymouswith teenage rebellion.An attitude can be defined as a positive or negative evaluation of people, objects, event,activities, ideas, or just about anything in your environment, but there is debate about precisedefinitions. Eagly and Chaiken, for example, define an attitude \"a psychological tendency that isexpressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor.\" Though it issometimes common to define an attitude as affect toward an object, affect (i.e., discreteemotions or overall arousal) is generally understood to be distinct from attitude as a measureof favorability.This definition of attitude allows for one's evaluation of an attitude object to vary from extremelynegative to extremely positive, but also admits that people can also be conflicted or ambivalenttoward an object meaning that they might at different times express both positive and negativeattitude toward the same object. This has led to some discussion of whether individual can holdmultiple attitudes toward the same object.Whether attitudes are explicit (i.e., deliberately formed) versus implicit (i.e., subconscious) hasbeen a topic of considerable research. Research on implicit attitudes, which are generallyunacknowledged or outside of awareness, uses sophisticated methods involving people'sresponse times to stimuli to show that implicit attitudes exist (perhaps in tandem with explicitattitudes of the same object). Implicit and explicit attitudes seem to affect people's behavior,though in different ways. They tend not to be strongly associated with each other, although insome cases they are. The relationship between them is poorly understood.Activity: Steps to improve your Attitude_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Team BuildingTeam building is a philosophy of job design in whichemployees are viewed as members ofinterdependent teams instead of as individualworkers. Team building (which is correctly spelledwith two words)[citation needed] refers to a widerange of activities, presented to businesses,schools, sports teams, religious or non-profitorganizations designed for improving teamperformance. Team building is pursued via a varietyof practices, and can range from simple bondingexercises to complex simulations and multi-dayteam building retreats designed to develop a team(including group assessment and group-dynamic games), usually falling somewhere in between.It generally sits within the theory and practice of organizational development, but can also beapplied to sports teams, school groups, and other contexts. Team building is not to be confusedwith \"team recreation\" that consists of activities for teams that are strictly recreational. Teambuilding can also be seen in day-to-day operations of an organization and team dynamic can beimproved through successful leadership. Team building is said to have benefits of self-development, positive communication, leadership skills and the ability to work closely togetheras a team to solve problems.Work environments tend to focus on individuals and personal goals, with reward & recognitionsingling out the achievements of individual employees. Team building can also refer to theprocess of selecting or creating a new team.

Activity: Steps to improve your team building skills____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________