Answer:
1. Face-to-face Communication Skills
Face to face communication is the art of transferring your ideas, information and emotions from your mind to the minds of others.
No matter what is your profession, you would be better at it, if you were to become a better communicator.
You need to gain the willing cooperation of other people. You need the cooperation of your boss, your colleagues, your customers and your suppliers. And in order to gain that cooperation, you will need to communicate with them in ways that are clear, persuasive and attractive.
So you could spend some valuable hours studying the principles of:
Clear communication
Persuasion and
Negotiation.
2. Writing Skills
You may need to improve your ability to express yourself in writing.
To some degree, most organisations rely on the accurate transfer of information and that calls for the accurate use of language. When speaking, most people make multiple errors of grammar and vocabulary, and nobody seems to mind. But when you are doing business at work, then the business agreement is usually in the form of a written document; and that document has to be worded properly.
How would you rate your ability to express yourself properly in writing? Are you a good writer or do you lack knowledge of grammar, punctuation, logic and rhetoric?
If you are not as good at writing as you need to be, then study grammar, study punctuation, logic and rhetoric.
Start by buying a copy of a book called 'Rex Barks' by Phyllis Davenport.
This book is the gateway to grammar - and Phyllis is phenomenal.
3. Time Management Skills
Time management is the art of making more progress in less time and effort.
Your time is your ultimate resource and you need to master it.
Most people waste too much time. They fritter it away and waste the hours.
Time management is about mastering what I call the P-list.
Planning - Planning is the art of thinking ahead to discover all the elements necessary to achieve a goal.
Prioritisation - Prioritisation is the act of putting things in the correct order.
Preparation - Preparation is the act of making everything ready, before you need it.
Prevention - Prevention is the art of solving a problem even before it happens.
Protocols - Protocols are written statements of what you will do under a certain set of circumstances.
Planning, prioritisation, preparation, prevention and protocols make life run smoother and according to plan.
How can things go according to plan unless you do have a plan?
One last P word... PAPER!
The key to time management is to "think on paper".
Keep good notes.
Make lists of things you need to do.
Don't trust your memory, write it down.
It doesn't have to be on paper, it could be on your computer, just so long as you write it down!
You'll find that the act of writing something down will help you to remember it, since the act of writing forces you to think of that idea for longer and to give it SUBSTANCE in the form of a written word. Memory depends on you making a mental record of an event. You cannot recall a mental event that never took place.
