Effective English Communication in Security is an Important Skill For Success.
Effective communication in security, more specifically, effective English communication, is an important skill to be developed. In fact, everyone working in Canada should have good communication skills. Although our society is divers and multi-cultural, most of the important daily business communication we carry out is in English.
Having strong English communication in security is doubly important. Firstly, because a security guard interacts with many different people throughout the day and must be able to understand them well.
Those people can include customers, visitors, delivery personnel, complainants, victims of a crime or accident as well as the general public.Secondly, an active security guard must be able to clearly convey information to many people in different situations. These include instructing personnel and visitors on protocols, directing members of the public, conveying information to site supervisors, clients, police officers and possibly court officials, as well as discussing site-specific information with other guards.
A security guard must have the ability to convey details and information in a clear and concise manner, whether verbally or in writing.
Examine the following event:
Sunil, a 36 year-old security guard, has been in Canada for 4 years working with his current employer for three of those years. His work includes patrols, access control and emergency response.
While on a routine patrol Sunil hears a commotion. It sounds like someone is being assaulted. Sensing the sounds are coming, from the building’s rear entrance, Sunil rushes as quickly and safely as he can. When he gets there, he sees an elderly man on the ground. After a brief examination, he determines there are no immediate injuries requiring medical attention. The victim identifies himself as Walik. He is an elderly male who appears to be in his early 70s. Sunil asks the male to tell him what happened and quickly realizes the man is an immigrant to Canada with only minimal English language skills.
Repeating his question to the distraught victim, the man finally explains the following, which is transcribed below exactly as it was said:
“I visiting only, no I work here. I come drop off something. It’s no good. This guy say ‘give me what you have’, I say ‘I don’t have nothing’. He not believe so I walk away and he’s pushing me to hit door. He pulled my wallet and take my cell phone and my keys.”
Sunil tries to get a description of the culprit and a direction, but finds the male has trouble comprehending him.
Sunil understands the victim is reporting a robbery. He also understands there is a likely perpetrator on the loose on or near his client’s property. Sunil must manage multiple priorities. One is to ensure the wellbeing of the victim but equally important is to alert his colleagues and police as to the description of the perpetrator.
Sunil will then be required to write a detailed report describing what happened and how it took place. He will look for other witnesses who may have been nearby and who might be able to provide further details, such as a more thorough description of the assailant and how he got away.
From the scenario above, you might be able to see why good language skills are important to the guard.
The security guard must be able to ask questions and understand what the victim is saying. The guard needs to convey information and ensure his call receives priority. Witnesses may be available and they need to be approached to gain their co-operation and to learn any added details they might have. A detailed report needs to be written. If the perpetrator is arrested, a court presentation of evidence may be required.
Of the many skills a security guard relies on, English literacy and communication in security are among the most useful and important.
How Can Literacy Skills and Effective Communication Affect Your Performance?
Without developing good English literacy skills, it would be difficult for you to perform your job as a guard successfully. Suppose in our above scenario that the victim, who is facing west, points with his left hand as to the direction the robber fled. Or in explaining the assailant’s physical stature, he points to you, but raises his hand by six inches. Being able to convey small details such as this are important because these details paint the bigger picture.
Grammar
An important part of literacy skills is remembering to use proper grammar.
English is a very descriptive language, but also one that can be somewhat difficult to master. Good use of grammar helps us ensure we are saying exactly what it is that we mean.
For example, imagine how confusing the following statement might be to a reader:
“He tell me I gave him my wallet. He want to go to bank machine so I give him my pin number.”
In this example, we don’t know whether the victim has or has not turned over a wallet. We are not clear as to whether the victim was told to hand over his. PIN, or actually did so. The sentence is not grammatically correct and therefore is hard to understand.
“I want talk to you and tell that way he goes. I want to find man.”
Besides being grammatically incorrect, the problem with this example is that we have no idea what’s happening. Who is the person talking to? What exactly is being reported? Sentence structure is important in ensuring information is clear.
Homophones
A further difficulty in English and one that relates to effective communication in security is the presence of homophones. These are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.
For example:
– Brake (as in applying the brakes to stop a car) and Break (as in taking a break from your reading).
– Their (as in… Their lunch is ready.) and There (as in… You can find the package there.)
– Scent (as in, The scent of flowers.) and Sent (as in, I sent you the package yesterday.)
– See (as in, Do you see the difference?) and Sea (as in, I went to go fish in the sea).
– Too (as in, The paint is too dark.) and To (as in, Do you know what to do).
The Importance of Spelling in Effective Communication
Spelling is a further part of effective communication in security. Not only is correct spelling important to ensure the guard writes effective and understanding notes and reports, good spelling is a mark of professionalism.
In English, words are not always spelled the way they sound. Below you will find some commonly misspelled words. See if you recognize them and whether you might have misspelled them yourself in the past.
– Laugh – the act of demonstrating amusement.
– Knife – a blade used to cut something.
– Wednesday – the middle day of the week.
-Acquire – to collect or obtain something.
– Achieve – to reach a goal.
How to Improve Your English Literacy Skills
Speaking with people. Since conversation is the building block of human communication, speak to people as often as you can about as many different subjects as you can. It doesn’t need to be someone you know. Pick a stranger when you have a chance and start by asking a question. Especially if English is not your first language, you can learn to be a better speaker and a better listener.
Reading. Find an interesting novel. Read your local newspaper. By aside 20 minutes each day to focus on reading. Soon you’ll see and learn words and phrases outside your ordinary comfort level. And remember, use the new words you learn when communicating with others. It will help fix them in your mind.
Writing. Put aside fifteen minutes every day to sit down and write. You can start a journal about your day. Or you can write a short story. Practicing your writing skills will help you develop confidence and improve your skills over time.
Listen. Choose a podcast or audiobook. Listen to world news on a regular basis. Pick a talk channel as you drive to work or while taking public transportation. You’ll learn to hear the subtle nuances that are a regular part of speech.