CHAPTER 8 PROFESSI ONALISM OBJECTIVES: Define professionalism 1. Enumerate and explain the determinants or attributes of a professional. 2. Explain how a person can develop professionalism 3. PROFESSIONALISM "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person" Profession "a calling requiring specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation." . ATTRIBUTES OF PROFESSIONALISM Specialized Knowledge 1. Competency . 2. Honesty and Integrity 3. Accountability 4. Self-Regulation 5. Looking the Part 6. HOW TO EXHIBIT PROFESSIONALISM Build Expertise Don't let your knowledge and skills get outdated. Make a commitment to build expertise and to stay up todate with your industry. 1. Develop Your Emotional Intelligence Honor Your Commitments Professionals can sense the emotional needs of others. . Whenever you make a promise to your boss, colleagues or clients, keep it 2. 3. Don't make excuses instead, focus on meeting expectations as best you can, and on making the situation right. 4. Be Polite Have the Tools You Need Honor Your Commitments Be kind and polite and use good manners to everyone you come into contact with, no matter what their role is, and no matter how you're feeling Do you show up to a client meeting lacking important samples?, do you find yourself operating in situations where you don't have the skills you need to do a good job? . Whenever you make a promise to your boss, colleagues or clients, keep it 5. . 6. “True professionals are always prepared. This requires advance planning, timeliness and attention. Focus on improving your time management and planning skills, so that you're always in control.” 3. TIME MANAGEMENT Time management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific activities Good time management enables you to work smarter – not harder – so that you get more done in less time, even when time is tight, and pressures are high. Greater productivity and efficiency. A better professional reputation . Less stress, Increased opportunities for advancement ime management is the process of organizing and planning how to divide your time between specific Greater opportunities to achieve important life and career goals COMMUNICATIONS Effective Communication skills play a crucial role in honing one’s personality Communication helps individuals to express themselves in the most convincing way. Your thoughts, feelings and knowledge should be passed on in the most desirable manner and effective communication skills help you in the same. HOW TO IMPROVE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS Careful selection of words is essential for effective communication skills. You really need to know what you are speaking. You never know what might hurt the other person. Never even think of being rude to anyone. Speak convincingly so that the other person understands what you intend to communicate. Your style of speaking has a tremendous impact on your personality. Speaking confidently is the key to an impressive and great personality. Do not show signs of nervousness while interacting with others Develop proper eye contact with the other person. Do not look around while interacting with the other person. Take care of your body language. Correct body language exudes confidence which further hones an individual’s personality. Do not fiddle with things around while speaking. Be very particular about the pronunciation of words. If you are not very sure of how to pronounce a particular word, avoid the same in your speech. Pronouncing words wrongly creates a bad impression on others. You really do not need to speak with a fake accent to prove that you have excellent communication skills. Avoid copying others. An individual should have his/her own style to stand apart from the rest. Speaking articulately enhances one’s personality and makes him/her different from others. Do not play with words. Never try to fool anyone as you might fall in the trap later on. One should always say things straight to the point. . It is important to be a good and patient listener for effective communication skills. Observe whether the other person is listening to you or not. Allow the other person to speak as well in case of queries or confusions. END OF CHAPTER.
