Barriers To Effective Communication

This sample paper on Barriers To Effective Communication offers a framework of relevant facts based on recent research in the field. Read the introductory part, body, and conclusion of the paper below.

Developing effective communication in health and social care| P4: explain the strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions.

For this question I am going to explain strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions. There are many different strategies can be used to overcome barriers of communication in a health and social care settings:  Building relationships and appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication. It is very important to build relationships with people who use services involve skills listening, together with appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication.

It also may be important to use friendly, warm non-verbal behaviour that expresses interest in another person such as:

* Making effective eye contact(varied and appropriate contact with another person’s eyes

Why Is It Important To Overcome Communication Barriers

* Smiling-looking friendly rather than frozen or cold in expression

* Adopting a relaxed and calm body posture

* Using an appropriate gentle tone of voice Using hand movements and gestures that show interest

* Nodding your head slightly while talking to communicate messages such as “I see,’ or ‘I understand’, or ‘I agree”.

It is important to build an understanding of the needs of people we work with in health and social care. Very often, people will make their preferred method of communication obvious.

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Sometimes a medical or professional social work assessment may needs in order to clarify the person’s needs and their preferred method of communication. All the skills of recognising and overcoming barriers to communicate will be useful to avoid trigger situation, such as aggression.

Reflective listening skills are vital in order to make the other person feel valued.

2. Staff training is possible strategy to overcome some barriers of communications. Communicating effectively with depressed, anxious or aggressive people cannot be developing simply by obtaining information. So, formal training courses usually provide opportunities to practise important skills as well as theories about how to overcome communication barriers.

3. Appropriate environment may help to reduce communication barriers by:

• Improving the lighting
• Reduce any nose. Move to a quieter or better room.
• Organize any seating so that people can see and hear each other
• Work with smaller groups to see and hear more easily.

4. Assessment of needs and using preferred methods of communication. It is very important to understand the needs of people you work with in health and social care. Very often, people will make their preferred method of communication obvious.

So, sometimes a professional social work or medical assessment may be needed in order to clarify the person’s needs and their preferred method of communication.

For example, people with visual disability can be use BSL (British Sign Language) and Makaton. The signs given help the person, because it gives them extra visual clues as to what is being said. When using Makaton the words are also said as Makaton is used to support what is being said as appose to its own language. Makaton includes not only signs, but also written symbols which are both used or either one is used depending on a person’s particular needs and cultures. British Sign Language differs from Makaton, because with Makaton not all the words are signed, the signs are simpler and the words are spoken.

For example, when saying “Good morning”, you first say “Good” by showing your thumb (fingers folded into palm), then for “morning” you touch your chest with your finger tips from left to right. This image is used as a symbol of the curtains opening in the morning. Also, may be used Braille (introduced by 1838 the Frenchman Louis Braille) – a system of imprinting dots on paper standing for letters of the alphabet, numbers and punctuation. With this system blind people can read by running their fingers across the dots, and can write by impressing the raised dots into paper using a frame called Braille slate, or a Braille writer.

Other possible strategies are:

* Use language to describe things

* Assist people to describe things

* Explain details that sighted people might take for granted

* Check glasses. Other aids and equipment. Another example, people with hearing disability may use hearing aids. They are battery-powered electronic devices with small microphones to pick up and increase the volume of sound received by a person. Also, text phones, relay systems and minicoms may be used for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Other possible strategies are:

* Don’t shout. Use normal clear speech and make sure your fase is visible for people who can lip-read

* Show pictures or write messages.

* Learn to sign (for people who used sign language)

* Ask for help from, or employ, a communicator or interpreter for sign languages

* Check that hearing aids and equipment are working. For people with physical and intellectual disabilities may be used strategies, such as:

* Increase your knowledge of disabilities.

* Be calm and patient

* Use pictures and signs as well as clear, simple speech

* Set up group meeting where people can share speech. Check that people do not become isolated

* Use advocates- independent people who can spend time building an understanding of the needs of specific individuals to assist with communication work.

5. Learn Assertive Skills

Assertive behaviour is where a care worker is in control of their own actions, it is a balance of an appropriate expression of your own need while understanding the needs and rights of others, therefore not behaving aggressive (anger) or submissive (fear) in a care environment as both emotions will have an effect on others and a possible short or long term affect on you.

Being assertive will help to challenge how other people feel about you. Assertive behaviour in a person listens and shows respect to others, tries to solve problems, aiming that no one needs to lose, negotiating (come to an agreement) with others and maintaining a clear, calm voice. An assertive person is able to: * Understand the situation they are in. * Control their personal emotions and remaining calm. * Use the right non-verbal assertive behaviour including varied eye contact, relaxed facial muscles, looking ‘in control’, keeping hands and arms by their side. Use the right words and statements in any situation. If a care worker were to act aggressive, this is where they somehow threaten someone, put them down or make them feel inferior to you. This type of behaviour has long and short term affects; the short term affects are that you are releasing some emotions that have been building up or getting some sense of power. Whereas the long term affects may lead to you feeling guilty and over apologetic, and you blame others for your behaviour.

This will all result in people mistrusting you which will make you feel isolated from others and will contribute in high blood pressure. Being aggressive not only affects you but it also affects others as they may feel hurt, angry or humiliated and therefore retaliate or they may stop being in your company. Some people are aggressive whereas others are indirectly aggressive; this means storing your aggression to be released later or onto someone not related to your aggression.

Again this affects you long and short term, short term being that you are able to let off steam onto someone else, you have less anxiety because you are not confronting the cause for your aggression directly, you get what you want and enjoy ‘working behind the scenes’. The long term affects is that you could lose control of your aggression, suffer from stress and stop being honest with yourself. Others are also affected as they may feel unfairly criticised by you and come to distrust and distance themselves from you.

This is why it is important for care workers to learn assertive skills by watching other professionals and doing the same, as being assertive will help to resolve and problems. Vulnerable people need to be ’empowered’ to control their lives, whilst rights and responsibilities also need to be thought through. Assertive behaviour from a member of staff in a care setting will lead to effective communication, as assertive skills. . References Books Portch, T. (1999). Communication and Interpersonal Skills. Great Britain: Hodder and Stoughton