1. Unit 1 Communication and Employability Skills for IT 1

2. Basic Housekeeping Check Lanyards Complete Register Health and Safety check Reminder about use of mobile phones Reminder about classroom rules No food or drink, thank you! 2

3. You should make notes as you go along when theory is delivered in order to complete the task successfully therefore bring a pen and some paper please! Please make notes to the best of your ability. 3

4. Today’s Learning Outcomes Understand general personal attributes valued by employers o Time Management; handling incoming correspondence (continued from the last lesson) o Team working 4

5. Mail category:What to do:What not to do: NEVER No further action required Bin it (move it to the Deleted Items folder in Outlook or shred if it is paper-based correspondence including sensitive personal details) OR File it (electronically in a folder or physically in a filing cabinet) Do not leave it in your in-tray! If you don’t have time to file material immediately, create a file called ‘filing’ and put the item in there, under the correct alphabetical letter. This will speed up the eventual filing process and will allow you to find things that you have not yet filed. SOMETIME Needs time and thought and maybe action Prioritise each item according to the deadline for dealing with it: today / this week / this month Add it to your ‘to do’ list Do not leave it in your in-tray! Put the paperwork somewhere you will easily find it: in your briefcase if you plan to read it on the journey home, in a pending tray, or in the electronic folder called My Briefcase. NOW Urgent and needs action now Include this item in today’s to-do listIf necessary, demote some other task to make room for this new one. 5

6. Handling incoming correspondence This strategy will prevent material piling up in your in- tray and should reduce the amount of time spent thinking about what to do with each item. It will also mean you spend less time hunting through your in-tray trying to find things. ‘Do it once and do it right’ is a simple advice to use that avoids duplication of effort. 6

7. Attributes of Employees Personal characteristics that employers expect you to have. For example Problem solving Creativity Leadership Team worker Work with minimal supervision Verbal and written communication skills Do these attributes apply to certain types of jobs or are they universal? 7

8. Is this important when working in a team??? 8

9. Attributes of Employees Video 1 Can you come up with some tips for being a good team worker? Video 2 what are the key messages? Video 2 9

10. Team Work Some people work in isolation but most people work as part of a team. Every team has a team leader and others in the team have specific roles to play. It is important that everyone understands exactly what roles are undertaken by each team member, and that everyone in the team works well together. 10

11. Team Work Some people work in isolation but most people work as part of a team. Every team has a team leader and others in the team have specific roles to play. It is important that everyone understands exactly what roles are undertaken by each team member, and that everyone in the team works well together. 11

12. Individual Activity Summarise information ( a bulleted list in a Word document) to address How to Work well within a team (use Moodle to download a copy under Understand the Personal Attributes Valued by Employers )How to Work well within a team 12

13. Are a team worker? Let ʼ s face it: Everyone thinks wants to be a team player. And most people think they are. But we know that ʼ s not true. Some people are so consumed with their own work; they forget to support their team—or they flat out don ʼ t care. It isn ʼ t always easy to be a part of a team. In fact, it ʼ s sometimes a real pain! But it ʼ s an absolute necessity in the workplace. You simply have to be willing to collaborate and pitch in when needed in order to achieve success. After all, if you don ʼ t help your team, they won ʼ t help you and no one man (or woman) can do it alone! So, are you really a team player? Or do you just think you are? Take this quiz to find out! 13

14. Are a team worker? Paper version or download from MEGA/Moodle Paper version Instructions Read each of the following statements. Respond to each by asking yourself if you feel this way: Most of the Time = Give yourself 3 points Sometimes = Give yourself 2 points Never = Give yourself 1 point Notice there is no option for ALL the time – that ʼ s just not realistic!) 14

15. Are a team worker? 1. When I see my teammates struggling, I offer to help even when I ʼ m busy with my own work. 2. When a task needs to be done and no one else wants to do it, I volunteer. 3. I always offer my opinion but I am willing to compromise for the good of the team. 4. When everyone else is working late on a project I ʼ m involved with, I will usually stick around too. 5. When I receive praise, I am quick to share credit with my teammates. 15

16. Are a team worker? 6. I feel that team goals are just as important as my individual goals. 7. I want to see my fellow team members succeed. 8. I enjoy working with the people on my team. 9. I respect the people on my team and appreciate their unique opinions, perspectives and ways of doing things. 10. I feel that my work is better when I ʼ m working with my team. RESULTS on the next slide!!! 16

17. Are a team worker? 6. I feel that team goals are just as important as my individual goals. 7. I want to see my fellow team members succeed. 8. I enjoy working with the people on my team. 9. I respect the people on my team and appreciate their unique opinions, perspectives and ways of doing things. 10. I feel that my work is better when I ʼ m working with my team. RESULTS on the next slide!!! Count up your points! 17

18. If you have 25 to 30 points: Congratulations! You ʼ ve got teamwork down to a science. You recognize the importance of supporting and contributing to your team. You ʼ ve built some strong relationships, established a reputation for being a hard worker, and you ʼ ve really got your priorities straight. Your teammates certainly appreciate it. By building, and being a part of, a strong team, you can feel confident that your career future is bright. You have a network of colleagues who know and respect your work – and that ʼ s a huge benefit in the professional world. You ʼ ve also got people who will support you when you need a little help. More than likely, you won ʼ t even have to ask. When you need it, your team will be there. 18

19. If you have 20 to 24 points: Well done! You ʼ re on your way to being a truly strong team player. Right now, you ʼ re a team player some of the time. While that ʼ s perfectly acceptable, it ʼ s not ideal. Your team needs to depend on you. They need to know that you ʼ re a part of the team always. Contributing only occasionally might even be counterproductive. After all, you want to show that you ʼ re a loyal and enthusiastic member, not just a “fair weather” friend. You ʼ re so close – just put in that small, added effort and the results will be dramatic. 19

20. If you have 10 to 19 points: Ok, how do I put this gently…? You might be one of those people who think they ʼ re a team player but really, you ʼ re not quite following through on the actions. You answered “sometimes” or “never” quite a bit on this test. Maybe you ʼ re getting along just fine this way – you ʼ re doing your job and getting things done. But remember that being a part of a strong team can be an incredible asset in the future. You may be doing fine right now, but once you hit a roughpatch, where will you be? 20

21. Conclusion: If you ʼ ve been contributing and supporting your team, they ʼ ll step up and help you when things are tough. But if you ʼ ve been more concerned with doing your own thing, watch out. You might not have anyone to lean on when you need it. I ʼ m not saying being a little selfish is always bad. But remember that a team relationship is reciprocal. You give some; you get some. Maybe it ʼ s time to step it up a bit and focus on helping your team. 21

22. At the end of the session revisit aims and objectives to check if the learning took place aims and objectives aims and objectives 22