Communications Fundamentals (CMFO) Assignments and Resources List
SUCCESSFUL WORK PLACE ATTITUDES & BEHAVIOURS
1. Positive Attitudes in Work & School
· a positive attitude is key to getting hired, to enjoying your work, and being successful
· job success = doing your job well, being an accepted and efficient part of a team, enjoying your work
· self-responsibility – you control your attitudes and behaviour. Avoid negativity, be solutionfocussed and look for positive options in work situations
2. Be There
· There are consequence to being late, missing work, or calling in sick as an excuse when you simply don’t want to go to work. The consequences will catch up with you sooner or later. They will at the very least cost you in terms of your colleagues affinity for you.
· Keep your employer informed at all times or actual crises or problems that might interfere with your attendance
· Meet or exceed your employer’s expectations
3. Keeping Your Focus
· Keep your mind on the job.
· Avoid non work talk or
· Do not deal with personal business at work.
· Focus on safety and best practices at work.
4. Doing Your Very Best
· Show initiative in work situations.
· Improve knowledge and skills.
· Set reasonable goals then work to meet them.
5. Accepting Guidance and Direction
· Follow procedures and standard practices.
· Ask for help, directions, or instructions.
· Accept advice and constructive criticism.
6. Being Flexible
· Be willing to do “extra”
· Be ready to step up and help when needed
· Know how to balance your own and other’s needs
7. Staying Calm
· Control your emotions
· Make constructive suggestions
· Learn, practice and use good communication
8. Looking After Yourself
· Be ready for work – get enough sleep and exercise
· Avoid social companions with negative habits—you can catch habits like you catch a cold!
· Manage and reduce stress
9. Honesty
· Respect your employer’s time and property
· Completing work tasks
· Be honest with yourself and others
10. Positive Attitudes Work
· Positive attitudes are noticed by others
· Positive attitudes lead to more interesting work and better jobs
· Positive attitudes create enjoyment and success
FOCUS ON THE SERVICE: SUCCESSFUL SERVICE SKILLS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE WORKERS
1. Service = Success
· Providing good service an important skill for success
· Good service applies to clients, co-workers, and all other people at work
· Providing good service ensures success and enjoyment at work
2. Service Essentials
· Doing more than is expected.
· Being prepared to put in an extra effort.
· Treating others, the way you would like to be treated.
3. Handling Difficult Situations
· Being flexible and imaginative in solving client problems
· Being helpful and courteous no matter how difficult
· Always doing what is best for the client.
4. Effective Communication
· Thinking your ideas through before talking or acting
· Speaking clearly and sincerely
· Listening carefully before explaining your point of view
5. Dealing with Clients
· Treating clients with respect, making eye contact and dealing directly with concerns Communicating information clearly, using language and terms clients can understand Always look for the clients explanation or point of view.
6. Professionalism
· Always being on your best behaviour
· Always improving knowledge and skills and work performance
· Treating every client with understanding and respect
7. Satisfying the Client’s Needs
· Paying attention to clients and understanding their needs
· Dealing with clients’ concerns and complaints
· Learning to listen, observe, ask questions and make suggestions.
8. Key Points for Good Service
· Always think about how to give the best service.
· Great service reflects on you, your co-workers, and who you work for
· Do more than is expected and always be professional.
ASSIGNMENT - AGENCY RESEARCH PROJECT
The assignment is in two parts, and is as follows:
Part One:
Create a binder that lists 20 agencies in the community that employee support workers or other paraprofessional social service workers.
If you have a particular interest (e.g. you want to work with women, or youth or Aboriginals), your choice of agencies should reflect that preference.
Organize these resources under subtitles according to the service offered (addiction, mental health etc.)
The entry for each agency should include.
· Agency or program name
· Addresses
· Phone and fax numbers
· Email address (if you can obtain one)
· Services offered.
Part Two:
From the above list, select at least six agencies that are of special interest to you
Include extra information (beyond what you included for the other 14) on each of the 6 you selected: This additional information should include:
· Mission statement
· Services offered
· Pamphlet of the agency
· Intake procedure
· Contact person
· Other pertinent information
Approach each of the 6 agencies for an information interview (this might be done over the phone, in person, or via email). The point of the informational interview is to find out about the agency or service in general, and also to explore potential practicum opportunities that may exist there for you. You may not be able to get informational interviews with all 6, you are graded for the attempt to a
ange one, not whether you are successful. Be sure to document your attempt. Ask you instructor how he or she would prefer you do this (your method of approach may well depend on the culture of the agency in question).
Write a
ief summary of the informational interview discussion, why the agency interests you, and the outcome of the contact. Indicate the name, job title and contact information of the person you contacted. Make sure that the agencies or services contacted are suitable for your practicum and are in line with the scope of the program and your abilities. (If you have doubts, ask your instructor).
If an informational interview is offered to you after CNRE has ended, by all means take the interview. In this case, you will be given an extension for part two of the assignment without any academic penalty or marks taken off.
© 2012 Page 2 June 22, 2012