Page 226 - The City and Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1 for the Level 3 Apprenticeship (9189), Level 2 Technical Certificate (8202) and Level 2 Diploma (6035)

The City & Guilds Textbook: Plumbing Book 1

When communicating with a customer, colleague or site visitor with a visual
impairment, you may need to:

l give more verbal detail than you would usually use
l describe any diagrams or visual aids that you are using
l keep the person informed of his or her surroundings, e.g. who is present, who
has left the room.

VALUES AND BEHAVIOURS

Remember: you should adjust your manner of communication to suit the
individual needs of others, which may include a visual or hearing impairment,
special learning needs, or those who do not have English as their first language.

Special learning needs

When communicating with a customer, colleague or site visitor with special
learning needs, you may need to:
l if possible, make sure a responsible person is present to hear any important
information
KEY TERMS
l keep information short and relevant, and avoid using too much technical
Accent: the way in which information or jargon
people pronounce their l consider using visual aids and diagrams to back up information.
words.
Dialect: a combination of Language differences
the way people pronounce
words, the vocabulary they Construction sites are often multicultural places, so you may be dealing with
use and the grammatical colleagues, clients and site visitors for whom English is not their first language,
structures they use. or who speak with a different accent or dialect.

A person’s accent and dialect are often a result of where in the country they live
or were brought up, but other factors such as social class and gender may also
IMPROVE YOUR play a part.
ENGLISH
Different names for tools, When communicating with a customer, colleague or site visitor whose first
systems and so on from language is not English, you may need to:
around the UK include: l speak clearly and avoid using slang words (words or phrases that are
l handi-bender vs scissor considered very informal and are often specific to certain geographical regions)
bender l use short sentences and simple words
l lump hammer vs club l ask questions to confirm that you have been understood
hammer l use diagrams and visual aids to back up verbal information
l troffins vs guttering l use an interpreter, if possible, or ask if a family member can act as an interpreter.
l tin snips vs shears.
When communicating with a customer, colleague or site visitor whose accent is
different from your own, you may need to:
l use the correct terminology in work situations – avoid using local slang that
may not be understood
l ask questions to confirm that you have been understood
l refer to product catalogues or manufacturer’s literature to make sure that
you are both talking about the same thing.
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