1. EDUCATION AND TRAINING SERVICES SECTION
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES
DIVISION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN SERVICES
Staff Development
******************
Communications
Developed For:
Georgia Division of Family and Children Services
Education and Training Services Section
Curriculum Developer: Denise Wells
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2. COMMUNICATIONS: Objectives
MODULE 3
At the end of this session, you will be able to:
• Discuss types of communication and determine
effective ways to use each.
• Describe the basic things to remember when
handling telephone customers.
• Describe procedures and tips to remember for
handling email correspondence.
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3. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 1: Effective Communication
Effective communication
involves relaying messages in
either of the following ways:
• Verbal
• Nonverbal
• Writing
Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
• Listening
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4. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 1: Effective Communication
When communicating verbally,
be mindful of the following:
• Voice tone
• Use of appropriate grammar
• Quality of projection
• The intended outcome of the Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
message you are delivering.
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5. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 1: Effective Communication
When communicating nonverbally,
be mindful of the following:
• Eye contact
• Body language
• What others are seeing
• The intended message you are Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
trying to deliver
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6. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 1: Effective Communication
When communicating in a written
format, take care to:
• Be accurate
• Be concise
• Be clear
• Be aware of judgments that will Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
be formed based on what you
have written
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7. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 1: Effective Communication
When listening while others
communicate, take care to:
• Establish and maintain eye
contact
• Concentrate on the words that
are being spoken
• Pay attention the words the Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
speaker is stressing.
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8. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
The next set of lessons are designed to:
• Define what makes a telephone contact
impressive
• Define the image to project over the
telephone
Source: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery
• Give examples of how to handle an irate
caller.
• Utilize tips for using voicemail and email at
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9. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
Tips for handling phones:
• Smile your voice gets brighter
• Sit straight up
• Greet caller with enthusiasm
• Do not chew gum, eat or drink
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10. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
Tips for handling phones:
• Be friendly and concise
• Listen and pay attention
• Use simple language
• Eliminate background noise
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11. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
Tips for handling phones:
• Talk slower than usual – rate of speech should be
one that is easy to understand
• Control your voice pitch – tone and volume should
be normal
• Control your voice clarity – speak clearly to be heard
well
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12. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
When answering calls, be sure to:
• Answer calls by 2nd or 3rd ring
• Identify yourself and the office or division you
represent
• Use an appropriate greeting:
Good afternoon this is _______ in _______. How
may I assist you?
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13. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
When answering calls, be sure to:
• Listen and be helpful
• If transferring the call, be sure to let the caller know
who they are being transferred to
• Always ask permission before placing a caller on
HOLD
• Always ask permission before placing a caller on
SPEAKER
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14. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
When placing a call:
• Identify yourself
• Do not ask, “Who am I speaking with?”
• Use your full name when requesting to speak with
someone
• State the purpose of your call
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15. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 2: Telephone Tips
When placing a call:
• Leave a complete and concise message that includes
your name, phone number, time of call and nature
of call
• Speak clearly and slowly when leaving a message
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16. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 3: Difficult Calls
When a caller is angry or upset:
• Listen carefully
• Acknowledge the problem, but do not necessarily
agree
• Refer call to your supervisor when possible
• Write down a detailed and accurate account of
the call and the problem
• Act quickly to resolve the issue
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17. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 3: Difficult Calls
When a caller is angry, DO NOT:
• Argue – remain calm & professional
• Blame others for the problem
• Interrupt the caller
• Apologize – unless it is clearly your department’s
mistake
• Make promises
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18. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 4: Office Awareness
When communicating with internal and external
clients, do not give out:
• Whereabouts of the person who is out of the
office
• Who a person is already talking to
• Who a person is meeting with
• Who is in a person’s office
• Why someone no longer works with the
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19. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 5: Voicemail Tips
Tips for voicemail:
• Keep outgoing message updated
• Listen to your own greeting to see how you sound to
others
• Forward calls when unavailable
• Check messages often and return calls within 24
hours
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20. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 6: Taking Messages
When taking messages, be sure to include:
• Who the message is for
• Who the message is from – spell name if
necessary
• Leave brief, pertinent information
• Whether the call is urgent
• Phone number(s)
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21. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 7: Email Etiquette
Email communication requires handling with care.
When crafting emails, be sure to do the following:
• Use correct grammar and sentence structure
• Refrain from using the following:
• Excessive use of emoticons () – one is okay, but limit use
• Casual text message lingo (i.e. u in place of the word you)
• All CAPITAL LETTERS. This means you’re screaming
• Use “reply” to answer an email rather than
beginning a new message so that the entire
communication can always be considered.
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22. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 7: Email Etiquette
When composing an email, be sure to:
• Make message clear and concise
• Fill in the “subject line”
• Double check the address
• Proofread message prior to pressing send
• Be polite and use phrases like “please” and “thank
you”
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23. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 7: Email Etiquette
Because email is a nonverbal in form, it requires that
rules for this type of communication be used.
Remember those reading your emails do not have the
benefit of hearing your tone of voice nor seeing your
body language.
Often a well intended email has unintentionally
delivered the wrong message to it’s recipient. To be
sure you are sending the right message, read it aloud
prior to pressing send.
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24. COMMUNICATIONS
Lesson 7: Email Etiquette
To see a short video presentation explaining things to
think about when composing an email, click HERE
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25. COMMUNICATION: END
This is the end of the module.
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