PNDBF – Management & Interpersonal Skills

Lim Sei Kee @ cK

IntroductionQ: Are you aware of the way you behave in

front of others?Q: What kind of impression do your lecturers,

classmates and friends have of you?Q: Do you get along well with others?Q: Think about your work habits. Do you leave

your work to the last minute or do you finish your work according to schedule?

Getting yourself and your work organized is an important life skill. It also affects your relationship with others, especially in the working world.

What is the difference between personal and interpersonal skills?

Personal Management SkillsManaging SelfDo you know that the first impression you give

to others depends on how you look and behave? When communicating face-to-face, appearance, behaviour and non-verbal feedback are the biggest factors affecting people’s response to us. A well-groomed person leaves a good impression on others even before any words are spoken.

How to leave a good impression?1. Take a shower2. Make sure your hair is neat and clean3. Do not fiddle with your hair, especially

during meetings4. Keep your fingernails clean. Do not bite them5. Dress appropriately for the occasion6. Maintain a good posture

WHY?

Managing WorkYou need to have certain basic skills to help

organize your work and complete it on time. These skills are:

A) Setting Objectives/ GoalsB) Setting PrioritiesC) Keeping to Schedules/Meeting DeadlinesD) Listing ToolsE) Sourcing for Information

A) Setting Objectives/ GoalsGoals or aims help a person to work

effectively.A plan, which shows a course of action to be

taken, can be drawn up.The plan will show the set of tasks to be

completed for the achievement of the goal.The set of tasks should be prioritized, i.e.

arranged in an order of importance, so that urgent tasks can be completed first.

B) Setting PrioritiesA priority is usually a task that is considered

important and needs to be done first. When office personnel start work, they have to decide which of their daily tasks to do first, second, third and so on.

SO, how to set priorities?

Questions to be asked1. Is there a deadline to meet? Is the target date/

time approaching? [The shorter the deadline, the greater the

priority]2. Does the work involve completing smaller tasks

first?[The more tasks there are to be carried out,

the greater the need to prioritize]3. Who assigned the work? Is it someone of a

higher authority?[The higher the status of the person who

assigned the work, the greater the priority]

Priority- highest to lowest1. Make a call to Aminah, of the Sales

Department, and remind her to submit her medical certificate.

2. Your department has a vacancy for the post of Human Resource Officer. Prepare a job advertisement for it.

3. Fax the advertisement to the Classified Ads section of Borneo Bulletin. This is to be done by 3.00pm.

4. Type two appointment letters to be sent out the next morning.

5. Remind the Human Resource Manager that he has a meeting with the Managing Director at 3.00PM today.

C) Keeping to Schedules/ Meeting DeadlinesMost tasks have a time frame or deadline for

completion.Do not wait until the deadline approaches to

get started.Find out how much time is needed to

complete each task and work out when to begin it.

It is necessary to allow some time to attend to unexpected tasks which may interrupt your work.

D) Using toolsIt is important to plan today what is to be

done tomorrow.Future tasks should be kept in mind so that

time can be allocated for these tasks.Many people make use of technology to help

them plan schedules and meet deadlines.Q: What are the tools that you use to help you?

Desktop personal computers (PCs), laptops, iPads, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs)

These tools help remind and/or update the user on outstanding tasks, deadlines to meet, and coming events and appointments to attend. With these reminders, the office worker stays efficient, effective and productive.

“If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Discuss.

E) Sourcing for InformationKnowing where to find information is essential to an office worker. Some external sources of information include:

a) Trade directories- To find out which companies provide the product/ service required

b) Telephone directories- To find the telephone numbers of people and organizations

c) Brochures/ Pamphlets- To get information about the products/ services described in them

d) Dictionaries- To find the meaning of wordse) Electronic resources (Internet, CDs)- To find

specific information on a particular subject

Telephone DirectoriesThe telephone directory is a common

reference book. It contains information such as ( ), ( ) and ( ).

Normally a telephone directory will contain:a) Residential listings, (b) business listings, (c)

buying guide, and (d) commercial/industrial guide

A) Residential listings- contains the names, addresses and telephone numbers of residential subscribers. The entries are arranged in alphabetical order of surnames

B) Business listings- contains the names of companies, their addresses and telephone numbers. The entries are also arranged in alphabetical order

C) Buying guide- companies’ names, addresses and telephone numbers. Companies are listed alphabetically according to their industry or trade. Their advertisements are also found in the book.

D) Commercial/ Industrial guide- listings and advertisements of special interests to people who buy and sell products and services. Companies are listed alphabetically under the products or services they provide.

ASSIGNMENT – due tomorrowHow many HuaHos are there in Brunei? State

all of them.What is the address of Pusat Ehsan?What time does the HSBC #WalkRunCycle

event starts?What is the telephone number of KIGS?Is it cheaper to fly to KK by RBA or

MasWings? Compare the price.