Running Head: Skills for the Workplace

Important Skills for the Workplace Today

Sanchia Amalia (RADip 0105)
Kaplan Higher Education

SSPDP Dip 18D

Patricia Lai
September 30, 2010
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Abstract

Today employers are not only looking at candidates who are academically qualified but also
those who have the skills of communication, teamwork and last but not least is teamwork, as
these skills will be needed to do all the task that employer would give us to work on.

Skill trainings are indeed important for employees as this will help them to improve their work
and also their relationships to other co-workers. Works load will feel less if workers do have
teamwork skill and their communication is effective. They are also needs to be creative in
making a new design or template of something to be done beautifully and resulting best.
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Important Skills for the Workplace Today

The essence of communication is to understand and be understood, but it does not end
there, many people fail to understand each other even they came from same background.
If only people work to improve their communication skills, such misunderstanding can be
minimized so that they can work in a mutually beneficial way (Don L, 2010, ¶ 3).

Communication will always be useful, no matter what happen. For example workers
change their jobs, communication will still work best. That is because we need communication in
everything we do. And employer must be looking for potential workers who have the ability to
communicate best with other workers and customers. For example customer relation, or public
speaking, workers need to understand so that they would be understood. They must know the
communication process. As diagram below show the process of communication.

Figure 1. The Communication Process. Note. From Process of Communication by admin, April
2010. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from http://www.mbaknol.com/business-
communication/process-of-communication/

As diagram above show the process of communication. First of all, the source will send their
message to the receiver through several processes. Encoding is a process whereby messenger
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transmits the message to the receiver. For example, when there is a picture of a tree in a black
board, it is the same meaning as the word tree, both are referring to a tree (“Process of
Communication”, (n.d)). Different with decoding, that is when the receiver gets the message
and understands it.

We could develop this skill by observing our lecturer when he or she lectures, as it is part
of communication too. And the most important part is to take action and be active when there is
presentation. Learning by doing is more challenging yet will stay in your head.

Teamwork is another crucial issue. Workers cannot work by themselves all the time.
Because it is true that two or more heads are better than just one head. As this jargon says about
a team, T for together, E or everyone, A for achieve, and M for more tree (“Teamwork in
Workplace”, (n.d)).

Teamwork is important because employees are able to learn faster, as they are working
together. And work load will be less because there is work distribution, so workers can focus on
their part and do not feel stressed out due to work. Teamwork is also a way to build bonds
between co-workers, because there is a continuous interaction with other team members, so it
also create a healthy competition as each member of the team help each other to excel. Each
worker is also able to explore their creativity (“Teamwork in Workplace”, (n.d)). Take a look on
company called Apple, they are applying this, and they are full of creative ideas. It is because
they believe that more heads are better compare to one head.

By participating in group work, exercising in a team activities, and always willing to help
others if they need help are also ways to improve our teamwork ability, as a college students.
Students are expected to help each other and build relationships to create conducive environment
to learn, besides we can know how to work better with other people better, as we understand
what they want and what they need and so they could understand us, and eventually make a great
teamwork. As a team, there must be someone as the leader, and the leader must have positive
attitude that could motivate other members and help to learn best.
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To be creative is something that people want, and most importantly what employer
wants. Workers must be creative when they are working and dealing with problems. Creative is
about opening up possibilities and by possibilities, it opens workers’ mind of other possibility of
other answers (Edward de Bono. 2007, ¶ 4). Employer needs creative workers to find way out of
a problem. So that they can see the problem as a challenge, not a problem then overcome it in a
new way that can even benefit the company.

As a college student, we have to be creative. Student can develop their creativity by

doing some musical or art to stimulate the brain, so that it will function perfectly. It has been
proven also that if both brains are working perfectly, then student will excel not only on their
studies but also in their lives.

Based on the research, it has been proven that every worker have to have minimum of
these three skills, such as communication, teamwork and creative skill, which is crucial as their
keys to success. It appears that most employer now
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Why Communication Skills Are Important. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2010, from
http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Communication-Skills-Are-Important&id=1720436

Process of communication. (n.d.). Retrieved September 29, 2010, from

http://www.mbaknol.com/business-communication/process-of-communication/

Teamwork in Workplace. (Ujwal, Deshmukh.). Retrieved September 29, 2010, from

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/teamwork-in-the-workplace.html

Edward. de Bono. (2007). Creative skills. Retrieved September 29, 2010, from
http://www.management-issues.com/2007/6/22/opinion/creative-skills.asp