Chapter 1 - Communication Skills Flashcards
People remember
10% of what they hear
20% of what they read
30% of what they see, and
50% of what they hear and see
Speakers (senders) remember:
70% what they say, and
90% of what they say and do
To be effective, the presenter should:
dress appropriately for the situation
maintain good personal hygiene
speak clearly and at a moderate pace
avoid speaking very softly or very loudly
pause between sentences and points
avoid space fillers such as “um” or “okay”
avoid excessive hand gestures
maintain eye contact with the audience
keep message short and on topic
avoid presenting too much or extra information that may distract the audience from the message being presented
When listening, a person should:
make eye contact with the speaker; maintain good, attentive body posture by not slouching, rocking, or leaning back in the seat
turn off, close, and/or silence electronic devices;
listen objectively with the intent to understand the speakers perspective
hold questions until the speaker finishes speaking
to remain effective when communicating by telephone:
speak clearly and at a moderate pace;
avoid speaking very softly or very loudly
minimize background noise
avoid using speakerphones in loud, noisy, and easily interrupted areas and where the conversations can be easily overheard;
keep conversations short and on topic
a cover letter that accompanies other documents
letter of transmittal
what should a letter of transmittal include?
the senders name and address recipients name and address, the project name and number description of the items sent number of copies of the items, notes or directions concerning the items
Used as formal correspondence to request information or action, respond to a request, state a position, or present an explanation
business letter
what should a business letter include?
company's name and address date of the letter recipients name and address subject salutation (greetings) content or body complimentary closing senders signature senders name and title a list of any enclosures carbon copies (cc in an email)
a less formal type of written correspondence used to notify or advise the reader about a subject
memorandum or memo
what should a memo include?
the date of the memo, the recipients, the senders, subject, content or body, and carbon copies
what is a memo used for?
internally to notify or provide clarification to employees about policy changes, procedures, or disciplinary issues
externally, to notify or remind subcontractors about important information or upcoming deadlines or meetings
what is a business letter used for?
reserved for issues of great importance. Should be specific to a single project and address a single issue
a method to quickly and securely send physical copies of documents through this machine
facsimiles or faxes
what should a fax include
the date of the fax the recipients name and fax number the senders name and fax number subject number of pages being sent description of items sent and/or message
a versatile electronic message commonly used for personal and business correspondence
what is the main benefit of email?
to transmit a wide range of documents via attatchments
an informal form of written communication sent electronically between mobile phones
texting
accounts used to promote a company or a business
social media
a formal type of written correspondence used by contractors to seek out and document clarification of items in the project documents that may be unclear, missing, or require further information
RFI or Request for Information
what should an RFI include?
the senders name and address
recipients name and adress
project name and number
clearly state what information is being requested and what type of response is needed
present a potential solution to the problem
a type of formal written correspondence that modifies the contract or written agreement
change order
this type of change order modifies the contract between the owner and the prime contractor
Owner Change Order
this type of change order modifies the contract between the prime contractor and the subcontractor
Owner change order
What should a change order include?
names and addresses of the contracted parties detailed description of the changes schedule impact of the changes cost impact of the changes signatures
T/F: Texting your subcontractor that a change order is coming later in the day is a good practice
True
an individuals personal record of daily conversations and events on a project
job diary
a snapshot record of the day’s/shift’s conditions and activities on the jobsite
daily report
T/F: daily reports are often used in litigation and should be drafted with that purpose in mind
true.
litigation - the process of taking legal action
what should be included in a daily report?
date project name and number individual completing the report job-site weather and ground conditions job-site activities contractors labor subcontractors equipment material activities material deliveries visitors occurrences (notable events) signature and date/time stamp
These reports represents internal communication between the project team and a company’s upper management on the progress of a particular project
Weekly and Monthly reports
what should weekly and monthly reports include?
Overall project status
Schedule analysis
Cost analysis
Labor, material, and/or equipment analysis
subcontractor and purchase order management
changes in work
who should the job diary be written by?
all members of the project management team
if a job has more than one shift, how often should a daily report be completed?
each shift
Daily reports are primarily created by whom?
superintendent
What is an essential part of the construction process that allows for face-to-face conversations about the project to occur between multiple parties
Meetings
what type of meeting is held to kickoff a project
pre-construction meetings
in-house meetings before the construction of a project that includes, foremen, project managers, superintendents, estimators, and administrative assistants.
contractors pre-construction meetings
sometimes referred to as transition meetings because the project is transitioned from the estimating staff to the project management staff
contractor’s pre-construction meetings
meetings held before the project starts between key project participants, which include the owner or his representative, key members of the design team, and members of the prime contractor’s project management team
project pre-construction meetings
meetings held before the project starts that are held between the members of the prime contractors prime management team and subcontractors and suppliers selected for the project
subcontractor pre-construction meetings
This type of meeting used to coordinate design and/or work of multiple subcontractors. These meetings should occur prior to the start of all major or complex activities
Coordination meetings
This type of meeting is held commonly every week and they are used to update participants on the status of the project and any other issues or concerns
OAC Progress Meetings
Owner/architect/contractor
who is typically in the OAC meetings
owners or owners representatives, key members of the design team, and members of the prime contractors project management team
This type of meeting is usually held every week, similar to OAC meetings but focus more heavily on the day-to-day. week-to-week operations of the project
Subcontractor Progress Meetings
This type of meeting is held commonly every shift or every day. Short, 5-15 minutes and focus on site-specific and daily safety topics
Safety Meetings
This type of meeting is typically held in-house after the completion of construction on large projects. Used to perform comprehensive reviews of the projects in order to assist the contractors in improving their construction processes
Post-Construction meetings
A form of written communication used to organize and clearly communicate the intended content, objectives, and proposed discussion of a meeting
meeting agendas
Agendas should include:
title (type of meeting, meeting number) list of requested/required attendees subject and/or purpose project identifiers (name, number) date, time, and anticipated length location intended content, objectives, and/or proposed discussions instruction or notes indicating how and what participants need to prepare for the meeting
A written account of a meeting that summarizes the major points, decisions made, what work was completed, who completed it, and discussions that occurred in the meeting.
Meeting minutes
Meeting mintues should include:
title (type of meeting, meeting number, ect.)
project identifiers (name, number, ect.)
date and time
location of the meeting
list of participants in attendance
list of participants absent
content and discussions like:
approval of minutes
project progress and schedule review submittals
RFI, RFP, and change orders
old and new business
meeting adjourned and next meeting date and timewhen should meeting agendas be distributed?
at least one day prior to the meeting
when should meeting mintues be distributed?
about one day after the meeting
Which of the following types of meetings is typically held at regular weekly or biweekly intervals throughout the project?
A. pre-construction meetings
B. progress meetings
C. post-construction meetings
D. coordination meetings
progress meetings
