Workplace communication skills: letters, emails, memos, notes, meetings and presentations (level 1)

What is the course about?

This course is about developing your English for work particularly for office and administration work. You will develop all your communication skills so you can feel confident at work You will work on how to speak well when working with the public or other clients, including how to show empathy, be assertive, and deal with difficult situations. You will practise how to write emails and messages that are clear and to the point. You will work on how to organise them, use paragraphs and write good introductions and conclusions. You will develop your sentences using appropriate grammar and vocabulary, plus correct spelling and punctuation. Throughout the course, you will work on reading work-based texts such as emails, forms and webpages to understand their overall meaning, see the bigger picture, find details and specific information, and make decisions based on your reading.

This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone can be used if you don't have a computer but please note the experience may be less optimal.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.

What will we cover?

• developing all your communication skills so you can feel confident at work especially in administration and office work
• how to speak well when working with the public or other clients, including how to show empathy, be assertive, and deal with difficult situations
• how to write emails and messages that are clear and to the point.
• how to organise emails and messages using paragraphs
• how to write good introductions and conclusions in emails and work-based correspondence
• how to use appropriate grammar and vocabulary in work-based correspondence
• correct spelling and punctuation in work-based correspondence
• how to see the overall meaning and purpose of work-based texts such as emails, forms and webpages
• finding details and specific information in work-based texts
• making decisions based on your reading of work-based texts
• developing your overall vocabulary and range of expression especially for work.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• develop all your communication skills so you can feel confident at work especially in administration and office work
•speak well when working with the public or other clients, including how to show empathy, be assertive, and deal with difficult situations
• write emails and messages that are clear and to the point.
• organise emails and messages using paragraphs
• write good introductions and conclusions in emails and work-based correspondence
• use appropriate grammar and vocabulary in work-based correspondence
• spelling and punctuate work-based correspondence correctly
•see the overall meaning and purpose of work-based texts such as emails, forms and webpages
• find details and specific information in work-based texts
• make decisions based on your reading of work-based texts
• develop your overall vocabulary and range of expression especially for work.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

This course is for people who are fluent speakers of English at Entry 3-Level 1. You can write and read English with a degree of confidence, but need to develop these skills especially for work-context. This course will be an ideal addition to a Functional Skills course.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

You will learn in a supportive and welcoming environment. with an emphasis on your discovering how to do and complete tasks and functions, with guidance from the tutor. You will work on your own and with other students on different tasks so you are always practising important in-demand life and work skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, prioritising, negotiating, collaborating and independence. You will learn in a step by step manner so you can complete challenging tasks in enjoyable and relaxing ways. Your tutor will also work with you individually so you know how to improve and how to work in a way that improves your learning. You will need to do work outside the classroom and use Google Classroom to help you.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will need a pen, some lined A4 paper and a file to keep your work in. Your tutor will provide handouts and a code for Google classroom so you can communicate with classmates and access materials, videos etc. online.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

There are many courses you can do before, at the same time or after this course. These include:
• English Functional Skills (level 1) / (level 2)
• English communication skills - for life and work (level 1)
• Workplace communication skills: how to be confident writing a CV and applying for jobs (level 1-level 2)
• Workplace communication skills: how to be confident and do well in interviews (level 1-level2)
• Communication skills for business: using drama to communicate with impact (level 2)
• Communication skills for business: how to tell a story with data in your writing and presentations (level 2)
• Communication skills for business: how to be clear, concise and organised in your writing (level 2)
• Workplace communication with digital skills: English for the office and business (intermediate level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: grammar foundation (level 1-2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - blogs, vlogs and TikTok (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - podcasting (level 1-level 2)
• Communication skills: develop your English for social media - website writing (level 1-level 2)
• Develop your confidence in writing: sentences, grammar and punctuation in everyday writing (level 1-2)

There are classes in the maths and digital skills areas which complement the above courses. These include:
• Becoming confident in digital skills: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (beginner)
• Essential digital skills for the workplace: Word, Excel and PowerPoint (foundation-level 1)
• Essential digital skills for work (Level 1)
• Maths skills for life and work - getting ready for functional skills (foundation 1)
• Maths for life and work (level 1)
• Maths functional skills (level 1)
• Maths for business: the essential skills to run a company and make a profit (level 1-2)

For more information, talk with your tutor or contact universal.skills@citylit.ac.uk / 020 4582 0423.