Transcript Developing effective communication in health and social care

BTEC Level 3 National Health
and Social Care
Unit 1: Developing effective
communication in health and social
care
Learning outcomes
1.
2.
3.
4.
Understand effective communication and
interpersonal interaction in health and social care
Understand factors that influence communication
and interpersonal interaction in health and social
care environments
Understand ways to overcome barriers in a health
and social care environment
Be able to communicate and interact effectively in
a health and social care environment
© Hodder Education 2011
Understand effective communication and
interpersonal interaction in health and social
care
What is communication and why is it
important?




Communication is central to all work within health
and social care. It informs all actions taken to meet
the needs of individuals using health and social care.
Interpersonal communication and interaction is the
process of giving, receiving and exchanging
messages, ideas or information between two or
more people.
Interpersonal interaction can involve both the
spoken word and non-verbal messages such as
facial expressions and body language.
Effective communication occurs when the message
is sent, received, decoded, understood and
responded to – this is the ‘Communication Cycle’
(Argyle, 1972).
© Hodder Education 2011
Understand effective communication and
interpersonal interaction in health and social
care
The context of communication



The context refers to who is involved and the
purpose of the communication, for example,
between colleagues, with professionals from
different areas or specialisms or with relatives.
Context influences the form of communication,
which can be formal (e.g. between professionals) or
informal (e.g. between colleagues and individuals
using services).
Context is important when deciding which form of
communication to use in order to ensure the
message is understood. Types of communication
include face to face, written, phone or use of special
forms such as signing or technological aids such as
Minicom.
© Hodder Education 2011
Understand effective communication and
interpersonal interaction in health and social
care
Formal and informal communication


Formal: communication usually takes place in a
professional situation such as a job interview or
when you meet your placement supervisor.
Informal: communication usually takes place with
someone you know or are familiar with, such as
friends, family members and work colleagues.
© Hodder Education 2011
Understand factors that influence
communication and interpersonal interaction
in health and social care environments
Who, what and where



Individuals will have different needs and preferences
when communicating, so the language you use and
the messages you give through body language will
influence the course and outcome.
Sometimes you may need to give unwelcome news
or talk about sensitive and personal things which
can make conversation awkward.
The place you choose to hold a conversation will
depend on the factors above, but the environment
can affect communication positively or negatively.
© Hodder Education 2011
Understand factors that influence
communication and interpersonal interaction
in health and social care environments
Minicom/induction
loop
Braille
Makaton symbol
Methods of
communication
Translator
British Sign
Language
Pen and paper
© Hodder Education 2011
Communication
passport
Understand ways to overcome barriers
in a health and social care environment
How can you deal with barriers?




Think about emotions – strong feelings can prevent
people from hearing the message and
misunderstandings are common.
Think about your approach – are you calm, caring
and confident?
Think about your strategy – what method will you
use? How do you know it’s the right one? What do
you want the outcome to be?
Communication training, developing assertiveness
skills, learning to defuse aggression, promote
people’s rights and build relationships will enable
you to deal with barriers you may encounter.
© Hodder Education 2011