16.4 Communicating Effectively: Methods, Accessibility & Conflict
Key Takeaways
Oral communication is fast but leaves no record, so important instructions such as variations should be confirmed in writing by email or letter.
Adapt your communication: face people with hearing loss and speak clearly, describe hazards to people with visual impairment, use plain language and check understanding for learning difficulties, and avoid jargon and use visual aids for language differences.
To handle conflict, stay calm, listen, establish the facts, agree a solution within your authority or refer it to your supervisor, and record the outcome.
Poor communication causes mistakes, accidents, delays and extra cost between workers and managers, and complaints, lost business and damaged reputation with customers.
16.4 Communicating Effectively: Methods, Accessibility & Conflict
Unit 210 learning outcome 3 (6 of the 20 test questions) asks you to choose suitable communication methods, communicate effectively with people who have particular needs, deal with conflict, and explain the effects of poor communication.
Choosing a Communication Method
| Method | Advantages | Disadvantages | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Face-to-face (oral) | Immediate; questions answered on the spot; body language helps understanding | No record unless written up; easily misremembered | Briefings, toolbox talks, quick queries, customer care |
| Telephone or radio (oral) | Fast over a distance | No record; noise on site; no visual information | Urgent messages and coordinating deliveries |
| Email (written) | Fast; provides a written, dated record; can attach drawings and photos; can go to several people | May not be read promptly; tone can be misread | Confirming instructions and sending documents |
| Fax (written) | Sends a copy of a signed document over a phone line | Now largely replaced by email; poor quality | Rarely used today, but still listed in the Unit 210 range |
| Letter (written) | Formal record with a signature | Slow | Formal notices, contracts and replies to complaints |
| Drawings, diagrams and signs | Clear visual information, understood regardless of language | Must be kept up to date | Technical information and safety warnings |
Rule of thumb: anything that changes the work, the price or the programme, such as a variation or an instruction given by phone, should be confirmed in writing.
Communicating well with customers
Good communication is part of customer care. Introduce yourself and show your ID, explain what you are going to do and how long it will take, warn customers before you isolate circuits or make noise and dust, and keep them informed of progress and any problems. Your tone of voice and body language (eye contact, posture, not checking your phone while someone talks to you) matter as much as your words. On the telephone, give your name and company, speak clearly, write down messages accurately (who called, when, the number and what they need) and pass them on promptly.
Communicating with People with Particular Needs
Physical disabilities
- Hearing impairment: face the person so they can lip-read, speak clearly at a normal pace (do not shout), make sure your face is well lit, and use written notes, text or email. A sign language interpreter may be needed for important discussions.
- Visual impairment: introduce yourself, explain what you are doing, warn of hazards such as lifted floorboards or trailing leads, put things back where you found them, and offer information in large print or verbally.
- Mobility impairment: keep routes clear, arrange accessible places to meet, and talk at eye level with a wheelchair user.
Learning difficulties
Use plain language and short sentences, explain one step at a time, use pictures or demonstrations, check understanding by asking the person to tell you what will happen, allow extra time, and involve a carer or family member if the person wishes.
Language differences
- Dialects and accents: speak clearly, avoid slang and local expressions, and check that you have been understood.
- Foreign and second language issues: use simple words, avoid technical jargon, use drawings, pictograms and demonstrations, provide translated material where available, and use an interpreter for important matters. On site, make sure every worker has understood safety information and inductions, not just signed for them.
Dealing with Conflict
The Unit 210 range lists conflict between customers and operatives, between co-workers, and between supervisors and operatives. The approach is the same in each case:
- Stay calm and polite; never argue, swear or become physical.
- Listen without interrupting, and let the person explain.
- Acknowledge the concern and apologise for any inconvenience where appropriate.
- Establish the facts rather than taking sides.
- Agree a solution if it is within your authority; otherwise refer it to your supervisor or manager.
- Record what happened and what was agreed, and follow up.
| Situation | Good response |
|---|---|
| A customer is angry that you arrived late | Listen, apologise for the inconvenience, explain briefly, agree how the work will now be completed, and tell your supervisor |
| Two co-workers disagree about who should tidy the work area | Talk it through calmly, refer to the job allocation, and involve the supervisor if it cannot be settled |
| An operative disagrees with an instruction from a supervisor | Discuss it privately and politely; if it is a safety concern, say so clearly; use the company's grievance procedure if needed |
The Effects of Poor Communication
| Between | Possible effects |
|---|---|
| Operatives | Mistakes such as wrong cable routes or materials, work done twice, accidents (for example a circuit energised while someone is working on it), friction and low morale |
| Operatives and management | Wrong materials ordered, missed deadlines, programme delays, extra costs, safety rules not followed, low morale and staff leaving |
| The company and its customers | Complaints, disputes, late or non-payment, loss of repeat business and recommendations, damage to the company's reputation and possible legal action |
Tip
If a test question asks for the best method to communicate an instruction that changes the work, the answer is usually a written method, because it provides a record.
Your supervisor tells you by phone to add three extra lighting points. What is the best way to protect everyone if there is a dispute later?
Do nothing more, because an instruction from a supervisor by phone is already legally binding on everyone
Ask for the instruction to be confirmed in writing, for example by email or a variation order
Ask the customer to pay you directly
Write the instruction on the wall where the points will go
When explaining isolation arrangements to a customer whose first language is not English, what is good practice?
Speak louder and faster
Use technical jargon so that it sounds professional
Use plain words, check understanding, and use pictures or demonstrations
Avoid telling them anything at all
A customer is angry that you arrived late. What should you do first?
Listen calmly to the complaint and apologise for the inconvenience
Explain firmly that the traffic was not your fault and start the work
Leave the site until they calm down
Ignore them and start work
Which is the most likely effect of poor communication between a company and its customers?
Lower insulation resistance readings on the installation's final circuits
Faster completion of the work, because less time is spent talking to the customer
Higher prospective fault current
Complaints, lost repeat business and damage to the company's reputation
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.
You've completed this section
Continue exploring other exams