Conduct workplace communication

This unit is about the everyday communication that keeps a construction site running: giving and taking instructions clearly, finding and passing on information, filling in site paperwork properly, and pulling your weight in meetings like toolbox talks. Get it right and the job runs safely and on time — get it wrong and you get rework, wasted materials, missed deliveries and injuries.

Giving and taking instructions

Most instructions on site are spoken, often in noisy places, often quickly. The skill is a loop: say it clearly, listen properly, ask questions, and confirm understanding before anyone moves.

The confirm-understanding loop — it works the same whether you're the sender or the receiver.

When you're receiving an instruction

Stop and face the speaker. Don't try to listen over a running saw or with earmuffs on — when it's safe to, move somewhere you can actually hear.
Listen for the critical details: what, where, when, how many, what size (in metric — millimetres and metres), and any safety requirements.
Ask the moment something is unclear. An open question ("How do you want the sheets stacked?") pulls out detail; a closed question ("So it's the 90 mm studs, not the 70s?") pins down a fact.
Confirm back in your own words before you start: "So that's twelve lengths of 90×45 up to the second floor by smoko." If you can't repeat it, you haven't received it.
Write down anything you might forget — measurements, quantities, delivery times.

When you're giving an instruction

Plan the message first: what needs doing, where, by when, and any hazards the person needs to know about.
Use plain words and one step at a time. Drop jargon the listener may not know, and don't stack five instructions into one breath.
Match the situation. Noisy area — move closer or use agreed hand signals. Complex task — sketch it, point to the plan, or demonstrate.
Check the message landed by asking the other person to tell you the key points back. "Got it?" and a nod prove nothing.
Read the signs. If the listener looks unsure, they probably are — invite questions rather than walking off.

The golden rule: communication only counts when understanding is confirmed at both ends. Speaking is half the job; the confirmation is the other half.

Question type	Use it to…	On-site example
Open	Draw out detail and explanations	"How do you want the trench backfilled?"
Closed	Nail down a single fact — yes/no or a number	"Is it the 600 mm centres on this wall?"
Confirming	Play back your understanding for a final check	"So — four packs, bay three, before the pour at 10?"

Finding, making sense of, and presenting information

Information runs a job as much as tools do. You need to find it, understand it, put it in a sensible order, and pass it on — in writing, out loud, and in workplace records.

Where the information lives

Plans and drawings, specifications and work schedules.
Safe work method statements (SWMS), safety data sheets (SDS) and site signage.
Manufacturers' instructions, delivery dockets and supplier paperwork.
People — your supervisor, leading hand and workmates. Asking is a legitimate source.

Interpreting means finding what matters to your task: skim for purpose, pull out the key facts (dimensions, quantities, dates, hazards), and check it against what you already know. If it doesn't make sense, ask — don't guess.

Preparing a basic written report

Select only the information the reader needs — leave out the padding.
Sequence it logically: what happened / what was done → where and when → who was involved → what happens next.
Stick to facts, not opinions. "Crack approx. 400 mm long in slab near grid B2" — not "the slab looks dodgy".
Plain language, short sentences, legible handwriting or clean typing, dated and signed.

Preparing and presenting a basic verbal report

Same discipline: pick the relevant points and put them in order before you speak.
Lead with the main point ("Delivery's short — we got six packs, not eight"), then give the detail.
Keep it brief, keep it factual, and be ready for questions at the end.

Entering information into workplace records

Common records: timesheets, site diaries, delivery dockets, incident and hazard report forms, material requisitions, plant pre-start checklists.
Accurate, complete, legible, in the right fields, at the time — not reconstructed from memory on Friday afternoon.
Bad entries have real consequences: wrong orders, pay disputes, and records that won't stand up if WHS ever needs them.

Taking part in simple meetings

Site meetings are short and practical — toolbox talks, pre-start briefings, safety committee meetings. They follow simple processes, and everyone is expected to contribute.

Know the process and follow it

Meetings have a purpose and usually an agenda — know why you're there.
Arrive on time, sign the attendance sheet where required, and put the phone away.
The person running the meeting (the chair, often the supervisor) keeps order: one speaker at a time, stay on topic.
Decisions and action items get recorded — know what was decided and what you personally have to do afterwards.

Contribute constructively

Listen to others before jumping in — build on points rather than talking over people.
Speak up when you have something relevant — especially hazards. "The scaffold tag on the east face is out of date" is exactly what a toolbox talk is for.
Raise issues about the work, not the person — factual, not personal.
Ask questions if anything discussed is unclear, and accept the decision once it's made.
Leave knowing your action items — and do them.

Constructive ≠ loud. One relevant, factual point beats ten opinions. Silence isn't constructive either — if you saw the hazard and said nothing, the meeting failed.

★

Know this cold

If you're asked about this unit, these are the points you must be able to explain without hesitating:

How instructions travel both ways — the sender's job (plan, plain words, check it landed) and the receiver's job (listen, question, confirm back).
The three skills that confirm understanding: effective listening (full attention, no interrupting), questioning (open to explore, closed to pin down), and clear speaking (plain, paced, audible over site conditions).
Where site information comes from and how to interpret it — plans, specs, SWMS, SDS, signage, dockets, and people — and pulling out only what applies to the task.
Selecting and sequencing: choose what the audience needs, then order it logically — what, where, when, who, what next.
What a basic written report looks like: factual, plain, in order, legible, dated and signed.
How to deliver a basic verbal report: main point first, brief and factual, ready for questions.
How simple meetings run — purpose/agenda, chair, one speaker at a time, decisions and actions recorded — and what a constructive contribution sounds like.
How to fill in workplace records — timesheets, diaries, dockets, incident forms — accurately, completely and at the time.

Where people slip up

"Yep, got it" — then doing the wrong thing. The fix: paraphrase the instruction back before you start. If you can't say it back, you didn't get it — ask again.

Assuming your instruction landed because the other person nodded. The fix: confirmation goes both ways. Ask them to tell you back the key points — quantity, location, deadline.

Writing opinions instead of facts: "the wall looked dodgy". The fix: report what you can measure or observe — "hairline crack, approx. 400 mm, near grid B2, 7:40 am". Facts can be acted on; vibes can't.

Leaving paperwork until the end of the week. The fix: enter records at the time. Memory fades, dockets go missing, and reconstructed records are unreliable records.

Sitting silent through a toolbox talk while knowing about a hazard. The fix: raising issues is your job in that meeting, not an interruption to it. Keep it factual and about the work, and it's exactly the contribution expected.

Mini-glossary

Active listening: Giving the speaker full attention — facing them, not interrupting, and checking understanding — instead of just waiting for your turn to talk.
Open question: A question that can't be answered yes/no; it draws out detail. "How do you want this finished?"
Closed question: A question with a short, definite answer, used to pin down a fact. "Is the pour still at 10?"
Paraphrase (confirm back): Repeating an instruction in your own words so both people know it's been understood.
Toolbox talk: A short, regular on-site meeting — usually about safety and the day's work — where everyone is expected to listen and contribute.
Pre-start briefing: A quick meeting before work begins covering tasks, hazards and coordination for the shift.
SWMS: Safe work method statement — a document setting out high-risk construction work, its hazards and the controls. You read it, follow it, and raise it if it doesn't match reality.
SDS: Safety data sheet — the manufacturer's information about a hazardous chemical: hazards, handling, storage and first aid.
Site diary: The daily written record of what happened on site — work done, weather, deliveries, visitors, incidents.
Delivery docket: The paperwork that comes with a delivery listing what was supplied — checked against the actual load and the order before signing.
Agenda: The list of items a meeting will cover, in order.
Minutes: The written record of a meeting — who attended, what was decided, and who is doing what.
Action item: A task assigned to a named person in a meeting, with a deadline. If it's yours, it's yours.
Chair: The person running a meeting — keeps it on topic, on time, and one speaker at a time.

That's the whole unit in one page. When you've read it through, mark it done — or just scroll past, we'll notice.