Duties and Qualities of a Receptionist

FIRST TERM 

LEARNING NOTES

CLASS: JSS 2 (BASIC 8)

SCHEME OF WORK WITH LESSON NOTES 

Subject : 

Business Studies 

Term :

FIRST TERM 

Week:

WEEK 2

Class :

JSS 2 (BASIC 8)

Previous lesson : 

The pupils have previous knowledge of

POSTURE AND POSTURAL DEFECTS

that was taught as a topic during the last lesson.

Topic :

Qualities and Duties of a Receptionist 

Behavioural objectives :

At the end of the lesson, the pupils should be able to

• Say the meaning of an office
• Define a Receptionist
• Say the duties of a Receptionist
• Write out the qualities of a good receptionist

 

Instructional Materials :

• Wall charts
• Pictures
• Related Online Video
• Flash Cards

Methods of Teaching :

• Class Discussion
• Group Discussion
• Asking Questions
• Explanation
• Role Modelling
• Role Delegation

 

Reference Materials :

• Scheme of Work
• Online Information
• Textbooks
• Workbooks
• 9 Year Basic Education Curriculum
• Workbooks

 

Content

 

WEEK TWO

THE RECEPTION OFFICE

 

Introduction

Many people visit an organization for personal or official reasons. The first person they meet is the receptionist. A receptionist is someone employed to receive and assist visitors in an organization.  He/she receives the visitors and their messages.

The Reception Office

The reception office is usually furnished and decorated to make a visitor comfortable while waiting. It must be a pleasant place.

The office must also be equipped with adequate communication gadgets to enable the receptionist contact any department in the organisation as quickly as possible. The reception office must be kept clean, orderly and attractive.

Qualities of a Receptionist

1. A good receptionist should have a good and pleasant appearance. He/she must always dress neatly and smartly.
2. He/she should have a good knowledge of the organization and use good judgement in discussing with visitors about its activities.
3. He/she must have the ability to get on well with visitors and also with the staff of the organization.
4. He/she must always be polite, courteous and friendly with people especially the visitors.
5. A good receptionist should be able to work with tact and have great ability to concentrate on specific important matters.
6. A good receptionist must be able to work under pressure and yet keep his/her head above water. For example, there may be many visitors to attend to and also many telephone calls, yet she must be polite. She must be able to handle visitors with tact especially the difficult ones.
7. A good receptionist must always be pleasant and show great intelligence when receiving visitors or when receiving phone calls.
8. He/she must always be punctual to work, feel committed and not be in a hurry to leave at the close of work.
9. It is very important for a good receptionist to have good human relations to be able to give every visitor or caller the impression that he/she is important, so as to keep the goodwill of the organisation.

 

DUTIES OF A RECEPTIONIST

Let us carefully analyze the duties one by one.

 

 1. Receiving and Treating Visitors

Receiving callers or visitors is a very important function of a receptionist because the visitors get the   first impression of the organization from him/her.

(a)         He/she welcomes all visitors politely and pleasantly and attends to them by asking “Can l help you, please?”

(b)        He/she offers a seat to the visitor (if need be).

(c)         He/she directs them to the appropriate officer. If such an officer is not around or is in a meeting, the receptionist takes a message down for him from the visitor.

(d)        He/she receives information for the organisation from the visitors or callers. This is where a good receptionist has to display many of her qualities.

2. Handling Telephone Calls

In some organisations, a receptionist receives visitors and also handles telephone call. In big organisations, the receptionist does not perform the duties of a telephone operator.

(a)         The receptionist should use please”: and clear voice, and be brief when making a call or answering telephone  call.

(b)        He/she should be courteous to the caller and take the telephone messages politely.

(c)         A receptionist should ask questions from callers very tact fully.

(d)        He/she should keep accurate records of all the telephone messages.

(e)        In an organisation where there is a network of computers, the receptionist should be able to pass information through the network.

 

Presentation

 

The topic is presented step by step

 

Step 1:

The class teacher revises the previous topics

 

Step 2.

He introduces the new topic

 

Step 3:

The class teacher allows the pupils to give their own examples and he corrects them when the needs arise

 

 

EVALUATION:

1. Who is a Receptionist
2. Mention four (4) characteristics of a good receptionist
3. List five (5) duties of a Receptionist
4. What is an office?
5. Mention four items that can be found in an office.
6. Mention three (3) items that can be found in the office of a Receptionist .

 

 

Conclusion

The class teacher wraps up or conclude the lesson by giving out short note to summarize the topic that he or she has just taught.

The class teacher also goes round to make sure that the notes are well copied or well written by the pupils.

He or she does the necessary corrections when and where  the needs arise.