Core Skills Development and Team Building

The provided document is an in-depth analysis of core skills development and team building. It identifies four main core skills and outlines measures to develop them through proper meetings, seminars, and teaching sessions. The assignment also includes an action plan for employers or team leaders to promote core skill development in individuals or groups, ensuring effective teamwork and growth.

Reflective Journal

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Skill 1: Focus and Attention........................................................................................................1
Skill 2: Time management..........................................................................................................2
Skill 3: Team Working................................................................................................................3
Skill 4 : Written Communication................................................................................................5
2. Action Plan..............................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
A skill is the ability to carry out any task with determined results obtained in each amount
of time, energy or both. Presented file is a brief study of core skills of an individual and ways to
develop it for better and efficient functioning of management. Main emphasis in the file is given
to four main core skills i.e. focus and attention, time management, team working, and written
communication. Further, activities that should be conducted for development of these skills is
also mentioned in the form of action plan.
Skill 1: Focus and Attention
What is the core skill to develop?
Focus is the core skill to develop. It means concentrating on one aspect continuously of the
environment while ignoring all others. It can also be stated as a situation or condition allowing
clear perception or understanding (Green, 2014). Attention is the behavioural cognitive
process of concentrating and focusing on discrete aspect of information while ignoring other
perceivable information.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
Focus and attention is important in many ways depending upon the use of core skills. For
employees or individuals, it is very much important to work attentively by focusing on it. It
can help in enhancing one's skills of doing same work with other more efficient and effective
techniques. And to work efficiently attention is important so that optimum utilisation of time
and resources can be done.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your tutor,

plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to answer this
question)
I'm more determined, attentive and have good grabbing skills of knowledge and learnings due
to good focus and attention. These skills can make work easier for anyone and can challenge
their own capabilities to work more effectively and efficiently. According to the feedback
given by peers, I found out that I'm self-motivator. Hard working is the only key to assess our
own competence.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
There are many contradictions that each one must suffer in their day to day life. As it is not
possible that what you see yourself as can be seen by others with same perception. Everyone
has their own perceptions regarding everything. If one employee is focused and attentive
towards his work than it can be pursued by many others in different ways like, honesty, silent,
lonely, etc. Wrong perception about skills by anyone can lead to over utilisation or
underutilisation of skills.
How might this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
This skill would help in developing soft skills of any individual. Any person can gain many
opportunities in future with these kinds of skills. As focus and attention on work can lead to
increase in knowledge of that work. Because of effective and efficient work through good
focus and attention skills, many growth opportunities can be experienced by them.
Skill 2: Time management
What is the core skill to develop?
Time management is the process of planning and exercising different activities by optimum
utilisation of time or in efficient manner. It is a mega activity which give emphasis to
maximization of overall set of many activities within the boundary line, as time cannot be
managed it can only be fixed (Emanuel and Librach, 2011). Time management may be helped
by a range of tools, skills, techniques, etc. used to accomplish any task before deadline.

Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
This skill is important to create an effective environment by using time management tools.
Further, this skill is very much useful in accomplishing target-based goals efficiently before
deadline. Use of this skill uplifts capabilities of any individual in every field. It is a
combination of processes, tools, techniques, etc. It is more important in project development
as it determines the project completion time. I selected this skill to use time effectively and
efficiently as it gives the person with choices on spending activities on their own time.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your tutor,
plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to answer this
question)
By my self-assessment findings, I found out that, time management skill assessed me for
doing my work effectively and efficiently in time limited boundaries because of this it gave
me choices of spending activities at my own. This skill also assessed me for planning better
strategies for doing work in more effective and efficient way. Further, according to the
feedback received by my peers; it was discovered that there are some qualities of
accomplishing group goals on time and coordinating with others.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
No, there are as such no contradictions regarding time management skill. As this skill has very
clear results which can be noticed by others. Without a planned strategy, effective time
management cannot take place, so its symptoms are visible to everyone and work efficiency
and effectiveness itself gives answers to all contradictions.
How might this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
Effective and optimum utilisation of time will help in preventing wastage of it, this will help
to save resources for future use. Group goals or individual goals can be achieved effectively

for long term as well as short term. By using time effectively without wasting, it can help in
effective management which is beneficial in long run.
Skill 3: Team Working
What is the core skill to develop?
Team working is the collaborative form of working in a team to put their group efforts in
achieving a common goal or to complete a task in more effective and efficient way (Carr,
Bowe and Ní Fhloinn, 2013). There should be clear goals understood by each member have to
clean purposes to everyone.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
This skill is important to work in a project oriented or goal-oriented team for achievement of
goals smoothly. Team working can also help in self-motivation to workers and develop
relationships. Individual qualities can be uplifted by giving knowledge and taking it from
every team member. I selected this skill because I can learn to be more patient and humbler in
worse conditions also by working in a team.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your
competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your tutor,
plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to answer this
question)
By self-assessment findings I came to know that team working skills helped me to be more
patient, calm and supportive with others. From peer’s feedback, I discovered that by
collaborating with team members, there is an improvement of my skills and balance in
communication, coordination, mutual support, effort, etc. This skill self-motivated me
individually and helped team excel.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?

Yes, there were some contradictions in the match of perception of my own and others. Due to
ingrained individualism there was trouble in collaborative work and engaged level of
competition. Further, experienced social loafing as one individual was placing his less efforts
where there he could easily place good efforts.
How might this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
In future, this skill would help a lot in every step of life. As I have learnt to be patient at the
time of discussion or talk and to be calm at more often. Further, activities such as collaborative
work or achievement of group goals have helped to learn how to work in groups. These all
skills will help to retain good position in any company.
Skill 4: Written Communication
What is the core skill to develop?
Communication is an act of conveying information or meanings from one entity to another.
There are two main types of communication; oral and written. Written communication is the
skill that need to be developed (Kumar and et.al., 2014). It involves any type of
communication method by using written words. It is the most effective way of communicating
than any other mode of business communication.
Why is this core skill important? Why did I select this skill to reflect on? (use relevant
theories and concepts to support your answer)
This skill is very important, because written messages do not have to deliver on urging of the
moment. Written messages can be edited and revised several times before delivering to the
receiver so that content can be shaped to effect at its maximum. I have selected this skill to
communicate faster and effectively without wasting much of the time as well as it saves
money too with written proof in case of any dispute.
Reflect on your current competent regarding this skill. How did you assess your

competence? (use your self-assessment findings, feedback from peers and your tutor,
plus your own reflections on your thoughts, feelings and behaviours to answer this
question)
From self-assessment findings, I came to know that, my writing skills have improved a lot
with improvement in my grammatical part of writing. This skill assessed me to communicate
easily and effectively with anyone without wasting much of the time. According to the
feedbacks I got from peers, there was a better management between team members as
compared to before with clear mind set of achieving group goals and methods to achieve it.
Can you identify any contradictions from your analysis above? For example, is there a
match between how you see yourself and how others see you, or not?
Yes, there were some contradictions between me and my team members as it takes a while to
get to the recipient that results delay in communication and if it is written on paper than it
lacks secrecy of the information being sent. Further, there was a problem in getting immediate
feedbacks from the team members about work process and management that resulted in
frustration and uncertainty in the business environment where a fast response is required.
How might this skill help me in the future? (use references to support your argument)
This would help in managing work and team in an effective and efficient manner which is a
long-term goal. It provides us with written proof so that any disputes in the future regarding
past activities could be solved and improvement in grammatical part of English could help in
effective management with clear mind set of team.
2. Action Plan
Skills need to Develop Activities Time Frame
1. Written Communication To develop written skills of an individual, the
three elements that need to be focused are:
Structure, style and content (Bens, 2017). By
providing three different training sessions to
Each session would be
conducted in time interval
of 1 week, so that practise
can also be done in

individuals or a group, this skill could be
developed. Importance of these three elements is
as follows:
Structuring: This session is required to teach
them to clarify their thoughts and purpose of
communication before writing. Secondly, to
make them decide a logical order and to compose
strong introduction and ending to make the
reader understand clearly. Thirdly, to teach them
to write short paragraphs and sentences with the
help of key points.
Style: This session will encourage them to use
appropriate style of writing to make reader
understand motive of communication. Key areas
that would be focused on are: requirement of
information and details, use of specialist or
generalist term, formal and informal writings.
Content: This session would focus on spelling,
punctuation, and objective, essential points,
positive and constructive. These all points will
allow them to write content in a good presentable
way.
continuation with teaching.
2. Time Management To develop and enhance time management skills,
seminar would be organized so that good and
effective time management techniques could be
shared with them. Following are some
techniques to enable employees or team
members work in a well time management
manner:
1. Delegate tasks: It does not mean running
This seminar would hardly
take a day to teach and give
training to employees or
team members for efficient
management of time and
work.

away from responsibilities but is an important
function. It is an art of delegating work to
subordinates as per their skills.
2. Prioritize Work: Before starting any task or
work one should always make a list of tasks
which need immediate action (Hyland and
Johnson, 2010).
3. Schedule tasks: Carry a planner or notebook
to list all the tasks that comes to mind.
3. Set up deadlines: Set deadlines the b tasks to
complete them on time and all the other tasks
that may get in the way.
4. Avoid procrastination: Procrastination can
result in wastage of lot of time, money and
efforts.
5. Avoid stress: Stress occurs when there is lot
of work then our ability to complete them. This
results in tiredness which can affect productivity.
6. Avoid multitasking: Most of the people
thinks that multitasking is the best way to get
things done in an efficient manner. But focusing
and concentrating on one thing can help in
getting better results (Van Dalen, 2012).
3. Team Working To develop this skill following guidelines should
be given to team members for efficient team
work:
1. Communicate, every day.
2. Exercise together.
3. Establishment of team rules.
This is a day to day activity
which should be performed
by team leader or employer.

4. Purpose clarification.
5. Recognition and reward.
6. Office space.
7. Take a break.
8. Focus on each team member's strengths.
9. Show gratitude.
10. Celebrations.
Above steps should be taken in consideration to
build up effective team and ensure growth of
team members (Yeatman and Nove, 2017).
CONCLUSION
The concluded file is a brief analysis conducted on core skills of an individual and
measures to develop them. Outcome came from this research is that, there are four main core
skills and through proper meetings, seminars and teaching sessions these all skills could be
developed in any individual lacking in this. An action plan is also made to guide employer or
team leader to generate a sense of developing core skills in individuals or group for effective and
efficient work.

REFERENCES
Book and Journals
Bens, I., 2017. Facilitating with Ease!: core skills for facilitators, team leaders and members,
managers, consultants, and trainers. John Wiley & Sons.
Carr, M., Bowe, B. and Ní Fhloinn, E., 2013. Core skills assessment to improve mathematical
competency. European Journal of Engineering Education. 38(6). pp.608-619.
Emanuel, L. L. and Librach, S. L., 2011. Palliative Care E-Book: Core Skills and Clinical
Competencies. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Green, A., 2014. Core skills, general education and unification in post-16 education. Dearing
and Beyond: 14-19 Qualifications, Frameworks and Systems. p.88.
Hyland, T. and Johnson, S., 2010. Of cabbages and key skills: Exploding the mythology of core
transferable skills in post‐school education. Journal of Further and Higher Education,
22(2), pp.163-172.
Kumar, A., and et.al., 2014. Can we teach core clinical obstetrics and gynaecology skills using
low fidelity simulation in an interprofessional setting. Australian and New Zealand Journal
of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 54(6). pp.589-592.
Van Dalen, A., 2012. The algorithms behind the headlines: How machine-written news redefines
the core skills of human journalists. Journalism Practice, 6(5-6), pp.648-658.
Yeatman, H. R. and Nove, T., 2017. Reorienting health services with capacity building: a case
study of the Core Skills in Health Promotion Project. Health Promotion International,
17(4), pp.341-350.
Online
Business Skills, 2018. [Online]. Available through: <https://skills.org.nz/>