Lesson Objectives

1. Define the term skill
2. Describe skills desirable of office personnel

What is a skill?

A skill is an ability that has been developed through training and practice.

Skills or abilities are what you bring to an office job.

Work Skills

• Literacy and numeracy

• Computer literate and productivity tools

• Effective communication

• Time Management

• Analytical and problem-solving

Literacy and Numeracy

• Literacy is the ability to read and write

• The ability to work confidently with numbers and measures.

• An office worker must be able to read and understand written material

• You must have an understanding of ways in which data are gathered and presented.

• It is the ability to apply logic and reasoning in working numbers and other mathematical concepts.

Computer Literate and Productivity Tools

• Computer literacy is the basic working knowledge of computers and related software.

• Productivity tools are a wide range of programs or software design to increase efficiency in the workplace. These include word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations and desktop publishing.

Effective Communication

• The ability to speak and write English fluently;

• The ability to express ideas to others orally or in writing so that they understand it clearly.

• The ability to listen to what others are saying.

Time Management

• The ability to manage time in order to effectively accomplish a number of required tasks.

• Use techniques to complete specific tasks, so that you make the best use of the time available to you during your day in the office.

• Organize work in order of priority and complete them as such.

Analytical and Problem-solving

• The ability to analyse the information or situation before making decisions on what action to take.

• Problem-solving goes hand-in-hand with analytical ones. It, requires that after analysing a certain issue, you will be able to find a good solution, within a timely manner and at the lowest cost.

• Evaluate each solution to determine its relative merit