Task 01

Part 1

Identifying objectives and acquiring new abilities are part of the process of professional
growth. There are various aspects in professional development. Few important aspects of
professional development are discussed below. They are, Awareness, body language,
openness, and responsiveness. These aspects are really effective and important when it
comes to personal and professional development.

Awareness

The state of being attentive of something is called awareness. It is the ability to clearly
know and observe events, as well as to experience and be conscious of them. One is said
to be aware of one's own awareness state since awareness supplies the elements from
which one creates subjective ideas about their experience. It is given a major role in self-
regulation to organize awareness of one's own inner experience [1]. There are three types
of awareness.

First one is self-awareness. It’s the most known type of awareness. It’s someone’s
capability of knowing who they really are and having a thorough grasp of what makes
them their-selves beyond their strengths and weaknesses. It’s also about understanding
what drives our emotions and behaviors and as well as our core values and beliefs. Self-
awareness is also the potential to make our knowledge of ourselves evolve as we grow
older and accumulate more experiences. It's important to look at ourselves as a whole,
rather than focusing on one aspect of ourselves [1].

There are few questions you can ask yourself to gain self-awareness. Some of them are,
 What has changed in you in the last few years?
 What have you discovered about yourself as a result of these experiences?
 What were your blunders?
 What habits do you use on a daily basis to help you succeed?
 What do you continue to do that is harmful to your health?
 For you, what constitutes success?
 What's the story behind you?
 What is preventing you from moving forward?
 What would you do if you were no longer bound by your own fears and limitations?

The second type is social awareness. You must be socially aware in order to understand
others, your interactions with them, and their relationships with each other [1]. It's also
important to know how you react in different social circumstances and contexts, as well.
Below questions can be useful when you want to reflect on your social awareness ability.
 How comfortable are you in social situations?
 In what circumstances do you feel uncomfortable or uncomfortably positioned?
 How do you deal with individuals you don't know well?
 What is your preferred method of communication?
 What do you do when people don't communicate in the same way as you do?
 When interacting with others, how do you create a sense of belonging?

Organization awareness is the third type. Having organizational awareness involves being
able to read a group's emotional currents and power connections, and identifying
influencers and networks within an organization. Someone with a high level of
Organizational Awareness can: Make better informed judgments based on tangible and
intangible data sources [1]. Some reflection on organizational awareness can be gained
from below questions.

 Are you a member of any particular organizations? List them all.

 How do members within each group interact with one another? Your previous groups -
how does this one differ from them?
 Unspoken and unwritten norms of the organization?
 How do you determine who is the leader? In what way is he/she a leader?
 What role do you play in the group?
 How well does the organization serve you, personally?

Body Language
As well as in their professional life, people communicate in diverse ways in their social
lives. Body language is an essential component of communication, in addition to the
spoken language we employ most often. It is the non-verbal communication of body
postures, gestures, eye movements, and hand movements that takes place [2].
Body language is really important when it comes to career and professional development.
Body language accounts for 55 percent of communication, according to research.
Professional success is indeed dependent on the way in which a person speaks through
his/her own body language [3].
 Figure 1. Communication percentages
As a quick and straightforward manner to reply to or grasp the other person's directions,
non-verbal communication is essential for a job interviewee. During an interview, a job
applicant might impress the interviewer with his or her body language, self-assurance,
facial expressions, and even their clothing. A person who is good at understanding body
language may readily interpret an interviewer's intentions and respond accordingly [2]
[3].

There are many types of body language. Some of them are,

 Facial expressions  Space
 Gesture  Touch
 Body movement  Posture
 Eye contact  voice

there are so many benefits that can be gained from using correct body language in
professional life. Some of them are,

 increase self-confident  be successful in different aspects of

 attract the audience life
 good public speaking  be charm
 raising self esteem  workplace and relationship success

Openness
In order to have a feeling of ownership and emotional connection to an organization,
individuals desire and demand openness.
Employees need to know what's going on and, most importantly, feel heard. In addition,
it implies being and expecting to be open to new methods of functioning. It's a way of
saying that you're open to new ideas [4].

There are few key factors to improve openness. Some of them are,

Having a communication model that is open

Business leaders need to be open and approachable to improve communication at work,
says. Regular face-to-face conversations with staff members are key to improving
workplace openness [4]. Business leaders must model the desired behavior by being open
and available to their employees.
Acknowledge, It affects every single employee
Businesses rely on employees in a range of positions who have various backgrounds,
education levels, communication styles, attitudes, and worries. For the firm to succeed,
every role and every employee is crucial to its success. Each employee's importance to
the company team may be enhanced by acknowledging these variances and treating them
as such [4].

Easy access to information

Each employee must get knowledge about the firm to which he/she contributes before
open dialogue can begin. A firm that encourages open communication argues that
training manuals and other material needed to accomplish daily duties for each position
should likewise be freely available [4]. Having workers who can voice problems, ask for
support and share ideas is essential.

Having communication guidelines that are easy to understand

Important information must be shared in a timely and effective manner in order to build
confidence through open communication [4]. Assure that personnel have access to all the
information they need to do their jobs. This would be both inefficient and unneeded.

Responsiveness

As the name implies, responsiveness is simply the ability to respond to a situation as fast
as feasible. As an example assume a consumer sends a letter requesting details about a
product. Response time may be measured by how quickly you respond to this email with
the information requested. This is simply an example. You may face a variety of
challenges [5].

Below points can be considered when learning how to be responsive in professional life

Understanding the responsibility

Accessing the information in the correct way
Ability to take right decisions with confidence and clarity
Keeping healthy and good relationship with each other in the workplace
Using technology efficiently
Part 2

Invitation card

Figure 2: Invitation card

Cover letter

<First name last name >

Management trainee

Management Division,
Institute of Information Technologies(IIT),
Colombo
trainee@gmail.com
0712345678

HR Manager,
Human Resources Division,
Institute of Information Technologies(IIT),
Colombo
30th July 2021

Kind request to join us on our Professional Development Skills Session

Dear Sir/ Madam,

I would consider it as an honor if HR staff would join us on our training session of

Professional Development Skills which is conducting for newly joined student at IIT. It
will be held on 15th August 2021 from 10.00 a.m. to 3 p.m. at main auditorium of IIT.
The training session is mainly based on communication skills.

There will be several events and items throughout the session that are beneficial and
effective to students and staff. I kindly request you and the staff of HR division to attend
our training session and be a part of this valuable experience. Thank you!

Sincerely,
<First name last name>
Management Trainee
Part 3

From –
<First name last name >
Management trainee
Management Division,
Institute of Information Technologies(IIT),
Colombo
trainee@gmail.com
0712345678

Date- 30th July 2021

To-
Sales Manager,
Sales and Marketing Division,
Institute of Information Technologies(IIT),
Colombo

Feedback for the request to join professional development skills training session
Dear Sir/ Madam,

I’m Writing this letter to appreciate your interest in joining our professional development
training session. The staff of sales and management division is happily welcome to the
session. I Kindly invite the staff of sales and marketing division to join the program on
15th August at main auditorium of IIT. It will start at 10 a.m. we highly value your
participation. Thank you!

Sincerely,
<First name last name>
Management Trainee
 Part 4
How use of Information Technology enhance communication of the organization.
Information Technology has opened a new era of global transformation. It has positively
impacted almost every area and fields in the modern world. one of those fields are
communication. Information technology has affected people’s communication of their
day to day lives and as well as in their workplaces.
Employee productivity and creativity are continuously improved by businesses utilizing
technology to enhance employee performance. Social media accounts for a substantial
portion of internet communication. A large audience may be reached with Internet
connection, allowing firms to promote their products more successfully. Investing in
television commercials is expensive, and internet platforms have helped corporations
save costs.
Social networking applications like WhatsApp, Skype, etc. allow you to communicate
emails, text messages, video chats, and even video conferences with subordinates or
superiors [7]. The use of technology has made it unnecessary to be physically present at
work every time [7]. You may do other essential work outside of the office and stay in
touch with your coworkers via video chats and conference calls [7].
Information Technology enables better interaction with employees, fast communication,
easy self service and reliability [8]. The following are some of the main ways that IT has
enhanced the communication of organizations
The ability to reach a wider audience
Social media is used for a major part of internet communication. A broad audience can be
reached via the internet, allowing firms to promote their products more efficiently.
Investing in television commercials is expensive, and internet platforms have helped
corporations save money.
Remote work
Most people nowadays have a smartphone or a computer, thanks to the rapid progress of
technology. If workers are able to work from home or at the workplace using their
personal devices, it's a huge benefit. Numerous firms have established rules that allow
employees to bring their own devices to work or to work remotely as a result of this. As
employees are able to work from any location. Because of this productivity of employees
can be increased.
Communication in the Workplace
Technology is enhancing communication technologies, which make employee
cooperation easier. Due to the diverse characteristics supplied by different platforms,
 teamwork and cooperation have become effortless. Following are some of those best
features
 Screen sharing  Cloud based technologies
 Video chatting  Social media
 Tablets and laptops

Risk Reduction in Security Breach

Prior to the advent of technology, it was very easy to steal and leak crucial and important
information. As a result of proper security measures being established in the workplace,
vital information is kept safe.
In addition, it has become easier to monitor employee online communications and
activities to ensure that they do not engage in practices that are against the company's
interests. As employees are informed that they are always being monitored, they are less
likely to engage in unethical behavior.

Apart from above facts there are also other different ways where IT has enhanced the
communication such as automated communication, better marketing, having customized
options, improved efficiency and productivity of employees etc [8].
Task 2
Employers who possess soft skills are able to navigate their surroundings, work with
others, perform successfully and achieve their goals with the help of hard skills. Some of
the most valuable soft skills one could have are, teamwork, leadership, communication,
work ethics, time management, good attitude, decision making, problem solving skills,
empathy, critical thinking etc. following topics are discussed under importance of soft
skills for personal growth in an organization [9].

Personal effectiveness
Your job, personal life, and objectives determine what Personal Effectiveness means to
you. It’s about effectiveness in life is using all of your abilities, talents, and energies to
achieve a goal or set of goals [10] . Having good soft skills probably leads to reach
personal goals, be successful become a better person and an employee. It improves
someone’s personality, their nature and how they interact with people. Those soft skills
make an employee easy to work with, more responsible and attractive. It also effects their
success in personal life as well. When improving soft skills for personal effectiveness,
you should make the most of your skills and strengths. And also knowing when to take a
break is important. And another important factor is always willing to learn and develop
the soft skills. If someone believes he/she has no any weaknesses and they are perfect,
they will never learn and develop their selves. In that case we always need to be humble
and focus on improving soft skills and becoming a better version of ourselves.

Working with others

Having good soft skills such as team work, leadership, communication (both speaking
and listening skills) and empathy etc. make someone easy to work and interact with.
Those soft skills are really important when you work in an organization with different
people with different opinions and beliefs. Its important to respect everyone and their
perspectives and opinions whether we agree or disagree with them. But at the same time
we should speak up our opinions, take the leadership when needed, stand up for ourselves
or for someone else if something unfair happens. If we need to finish some group task or
project successfully, or reach some goal, we should work more collaboratively with the
team. Good communication skills are essential for successful teamwork. To reduce the
impact of miscommunications, communication skills include attentively listening to
colleagues and participating in dispute resolution to keep projects and organizational
efforts are needed.
Using of initiative
Being initiative in the organization or company you work in simply means the skill to
independently analyze problems and propose potential solutions [11]. When you take the
initiative in the job, your manager and co-workers will see how valuable you are to them.
Employees that are proactive are more likely to accept responsibility for their actions and
to exhibit leadership characteristics. It is also possible to encourage your teammates to
perform better when you take the initiative and lead by example. Using of initiative will
help you get promotions. And you will be a good example for your coworkers and it will
inspire them to perform better.

Assertiveness skills
Assertiveness skills are the communication methods that transmit information and ideas
in a straightforward, open, and respectful manner. This quality helps you to assert and
defend your beliefs in a calm yet forceful manner. Its about being respectful and
professional when communicating with others in the workplace yet expressing your own
ideas confidently and straight forwardly. It’s a good quality to have in either personal life
and professional life. It will make others build a good image of you and respect you even
more. You cant either be too aggressive or too passive. There are 3 C’s in assertive
communication. They are confidence, clear and control. You have to be confident that
you can handle the situation. And your message has to be easy to understand and clear.
Also you have to deliver your message in a calm and controlled way. Having these skills
will save you from workplace conflicts and unwanted problems.

Social Skills
Having social skills are really important in workplace. We have to work with different
and many people including heads, managers, co-workers, servants, clients, students every
day. Therefore, we have to know how to talk to them and interact with them
professionally. If we have some personal issue with any of the coworkers, we can’t bring
that to our workplace. We have to work with people respectfully and professionally
despite our interest, disinterest or opinion of them. We should play our role as an
employee of the company keeping the right relationships with other co- workers. If we
have strong social skills it will help us get promoted and succeed in our career. When
improving social skills we have to empathize with others, have a good attitude, keep an
appropriate contacts, show respect, understand others different perspectives and
collaborate etc.
Task 3
New Product Launch Campaign Proposal

Event Details

Event Title IIT new product lunch campaign

Target Students, lecturers, clients

Group(s)

Proposed by Institute Management

Hosting Institute Of Information Technologies (IIT)

Organization

Event Date(s) 20-08-2021

Venue Main Auditorium

Amount 30,000 LKR

Requested

Event Description
This new product launch campaign of IIT will be held on 20 th august 2021 with the participation
of the staff, students and clients at main auditorium of IIT. It will begin at 8 A.M and will end at
8 P.M. we are expecting 300+ participants.

The benefits of the event to the organization are financial benefits, development of expertise,
increasing community access to participation, improvement of facilities

Objectives
 Clearly and effectively establish new product name, brand, and position.
 Build awareness and credibility for the new product and the company.
Extend awareness and strengthen the product/company brand through partner co-marketing.
Raise funds for cancer patients
Proposed Program

Figure 3: New Product Campaign Agenda

 Human Resource
Organising
Committee

Event Director

Program Equipment Management Administration

Coordinator Coordinator trainee and Finance

Event Equipment
Volunteers Volunteers

Equipment Needs
 Tables and chairs  Sound  screen
 Signs and banners  Storage
 Visuals  Projector

Scope of Work
Gantt chart of new product launch.

Figure 4 : Gantt chart of product launch

 References

[1] The Institute of You. 2021. The 3 Types Of Awareness. [online] Available at: <https://instituteofyou.org/3-
types-of-awareness/>
[2] HelpGuide.org. 2021. Nonverbal Communication and Body Language - HelpGuide.org. [online] Available
at: <https://www.helpguide.org/articles/relationships-communication/nonverbal-communication.htm>
[Accessed 31 July 2021].
[3] Cleverism. 2021. Body Language. [online] Available at: <https://www.cleverism.com/skills-and-
tools/body-language/#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%2055%25%20of,his%20or%20her%20body
%20language.&text=The%20job%20candidate%2C%20through%20his,dressing%2C%20can%20impress
%20the%20interviewer.> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[4] Medium. 2021. Openness at Work. [online] Available at: <https://medium.com/workplace-by-
facebook/openness-at-work-4ef0f51bb606#:~:text=Openness%20means%20being%20open%20in,It
%20means%20openness%20to%20change.> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[5] Small Business - Chron.com. 2021. How to Establish & Maintain Good Relationships in the Workplace.
[online] Available at: <https://smallbusiness.chron.com/establish-maintain-good-relationships-workplace-
22396.html> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[6] Linkedin.com. 2021. Responsiveness in Workplace. [online] Available at:
<https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/responsiveness-workplace-mahaprasad-mishra/> [Accessed 31 July
2021].
[7] Prasad, A., 2021. 10 Ways Technology Has Reshaped the Modern Workplace | QuickFMS. [online]
QuickFMS. Available at: <https://www.quickfms.com/blog/how-technology-has-reshaped-the-workplace>
[Accessed 31 July 2021].
[8] TechPrevue. 2021. How Has Technology Improved Communication?. [online] Available at:
<https://www.techprevue.com/technology-helps-improve-communication/> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[9] PeopleScout. 2021. Soft Skills in the Workplace: Why They Matter | PeopleScout. [online] Available at:
<https://www.peoplescout.com/insights/soft-skills-in-the-workplace/> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[10] TTA (The Training Associates). 2021. Personal Effectiveness in The Workplace - TTA Blog.
[online] Available at: <https://thetrainingassociates.com/blog/personal-effectiveness-workplace/>
[Accessed 31 July 2021].
[11] Indeed.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-
development/tips-for-taking-initiative-at-work> [Accessed 31 July 2021].
[12] The Conover Company. 2021. 7 Interpersonal & Social Skills for the Workplace | The Conover
Company. [online] Available at: <https://www.conovercompany.com/7-interpersonal-social-skills-for-the-
workplace/> [Accessed 31 July 2021].