Personal Effectiveness & Communication Flashcards
Time management is…
…the process of allocating time to tasks in the most effective manner
Effective time management involves attention to: (6)
- Goal / target setting (SMART)
- Action planning (Written)
- Prioritising
- Focus (1 thing at a time)
- Urgency
- Organisation (ABCD, batches, natural pattern)
The ABCD method of in-tray management:
Act immediately
Bin it (Worthless, irrelevant or unneccessary)
Create a plan to come back (To do, calendar, etc)
Delegate it to someone else
Time management can be improved by: (4)
- Plan each day
- Produce a longer-term plan
- Do no be available to all at all times
- Stay in control of the telephone
Prioritisation involves…
…identifying key results and key tasks
Must be done and must be achieved
A job is more important than other tasks if it satisfies 1 of 3 conditions:
- Adds value to output
- Comes from a high-priority source
- Potential consequences of failure are long-term, difficult to reverse, far reaching and costly
Manage time & organise work: 5 problems common to all managers:
- Procrastinating
- Delegating inefficiently
- Mismanaging the paperwork
- Holding unnecessary meetings
- Failing to set priorities
Work planning involves 4 steps:
- Establishing priorities
- Loading / allocation of tasks
- Sequencing tasks
- Scheduling
Digital means…
…of digits or numbers (binary format)
Analogue means…
…continuously variable signals
Developments in communication technology: (6)
- Modems and digital transmission
- Mobile communications
- Voice messaging systems
- Computer bulletin boards
- Videoconferencing
- Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
10 communication tools:
- Conversation
- Meeting
- Presentation
- Telephone
- Fax
- Memorandum
- Letter
- Report
- Videoconferencing
The effect of office automation on business:
- Routine processing
- Paperless
- Management information
- Organisation structure (Branches)
- Customer service
- Homeworking & remote working
Coaching is where…
…a trainee is put under the guidance of an experienced employee
5 steps to coaching:
- Establish learning targets
- Plan a systematic learning & development program
- ID opportunities for broadening knowledge and experience
- Account for strengths and limitations of trainee
- Exchange feedback
NB: Not that coaching focuses on…
…achieving specific objectives
Mentoring is…
…a long-term relationship in which a more experienced person acts as a teacher, counsellor, role model, supporter and encourager to foster individual personal and career development
Mentoring differs from coaching in 2 main ways:
- Mentor is not usually the protege’s immediate supervisors
2. Mentoring covers a wide range of functions (not always related to job performance)
A coach vs a mentor:
A coach needs to be an expert in the field
A mentor is often drawn from other areas; opens lines of communication’; usually a senior position