8000-265 Workplace Communication

Leaders within the organisation need to develop effective communication techniques and abilities to ensure that they are able to effectively impact the organisational activities. Communication is the heartbeat of the workplace environment hence making it critical in different levels of organisational leadership. 8000-265 Workplace Communication is a unit within the ILM Level 2 module that focuses on improving the ability of the leaders within the organisation and, more specifically, in teams or cells in the organisation to achieve the levels of communication that are aligned with organisational goals and objectives.

The unit is critical in ensuring that leaders are able to facilitate an environment that is built on sharing of information. This is achieved by creating platforms through which members of the organisation or team can use to communicate effectively within the workplace. The leader can additionally influence the willingness of team members to communicate effectively through providing motivation for open communication within the workplace.

The main aim and purpose of 8000-265 Workplace Communication as a unit is to develop an understanding of other importance and processes that can be used to improve workplace communication which is a critical role of a practising or potential team leader. The unit is completed in 5 guided learning hours and is accountable for 1 credit value within the ILM Level 2 Module overall grading.

Who can Pursue this Unit?

Workplace communication has become an important aspect of modern organisations. Workplace environments that are based on developing a culture where the team members can communicate with each other. They can also collaborate with another team to ensure that there is coordinated pursuit of the organisational goals and objectives. As such, this unit is critical for all leaders within the organisation.

However, the unit is developed with a specific target of team leaders within the organisation. These are individuals tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the activities within project teams that are assigned with specific tasks, which are the primary units of the organisation. These are groups of employees who engage in activities that, when combined, lead to the overall processes and procedures of the organisation. Team leaders should, therefore, be able to facilitate effective communication within their teams.

This ensures that all team members are able to contribute towards completing the assigned tasks and responsibilities and hence facilitating the success of the organisation in general. The unit is not, however limited to the team leaders. Other leaders can pursue the course to streamline their communication skills and boost their ability to develop an influence over communication within the workplace. Employees and team members can also pursue the unit to help them master critical skills and practices that improve their communication abilities or prepare them for leadership roles.

Learning Outcomes

Upon the completion of this unit, the learners should be able to:

• Understand the significance of clear and effective communication within the workplace and in specific areas of responsibility as team leaders

• Show mastery of the different stages of communication within the workplace setting

• Understand the potential barriers to communication within the team and devise strategies to overcome this barrier and improve communication within the team

• Understand the different methods of communication that can be used within the team with their pros and cons hence showing understanding of ability to effectively choose a communication method for a specific situation.

• Show understanding of the importance of keeping records of communication

• Identify the procedures for maintaining accurate records of different forms of communication, including electronic and oral communication.

Key Learning Areas

Workplace communication is a wide area of study. It covers different elements that range from the skills of leaders that necessitate the development of effective communication within the teams to the methods that can be used for effective communication in the workplace. Some of the main areas of learning within the unit include:

Effective Communication

This area of learning focuses on laying a foundation for understanding the basic principles of effective communication. The learners are taken through the communication process to understand the different components and stages that are involved in workplace communication.

The learners are also made to appreciate the different barriers that they may experience in developing effective communication strategies as well as the necessary skills that they should develop to place them in a better place to achieve the desired levels of workplace communication. Lastly, the learners are introduced to the process of analysing the communication environment, including the needs of the recipient, to improve the efficiency of the process.

Methods of Communication

This area helps the learners to develop an understanding of different approaches that can be used to conduct communication within the workplace. Methods of communication can be classified as electronic communication, verbal communication or written communication. The communication methods vary depending on the needs of the recipient and the nature of the information being passed.

8000-265 Workplace Communication provides the learners with the opportunity to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each method hence ensuring that they are able to analyse the best alternative to use in specific situations that maximise the outcome of their teams.

Records of Communication

This is an area of learning that guides the team leaders on the need to record communication within the workplace. It focuses on showing the importance of keeping accurate records of oral communication which include potential legal or disciplinary issues within the teams. Additionally, the unit provides the learners with the support information on identifying the methods of keeping accurate records for difficult methods of communication such as oral and electronic methods.

Wrap Up

Workplace communication is one of the most critical practices within organisations that is facilitated by the leaders. Team leaders exposed to 8000-265 Workplace Communication are guided into developing skills and abilities that help them in fulfilling this obligation. Upon completion of the unit, the learners being prepared for team leadership are assessed using a written assessment that is used to evaluate their mastery of theoretical information learned. Supervised practice is also used to ensure the learners are able to implement the strategies of workplace communication learned in improving their practice.