Читать книгу Communication and Interpersonal Skills - Erica Pavord - Страница 9

01

INTRODUCING KEY CONCEPTS

IN COMMUNICATION

KEY THEMES:

 The importance of communication

 Moving towards a definition of communication

 Academic definitions

 Communications theory

 Models of communication.

Being able to communicate effectively is essential for any practitioner working with people. Good communication is central to providing good care and service. This book aims to launch you on an exploration of what it is to communicate effectively with others and the impact that good and bad communication has on the process of care.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION

“Communication underpins all else we do. Effective communication is a two way process which develops and cements relationships, keeps people informed and reduces the likelihood of errors and mistakes.”

(NHS Employers, 2014, p. 2)

“Good communication is central to working with children, young people, families and carers. It helps build trust, and encourages them to seek advice and use services. It is key to establishing and maintaining relationships, and is an active process that involves listening, questioning, understanding and responding.”

(Children’s Workforce Development Council, 2010, p. 6)

Communication is central to everything we do in health and social care. Effective communication is the key to delivering high-quality help and care, regardless of your field or the setting you work in. If any of our communication skills are poor or deficient or if we are negligent in communicating something that is important, the people we aim to care for will be disadvantaged and may suffer in consequence. Constantly reviewing, maintaining and improving your communication skills is a very important part of your work not just as a student but also as a professional. Good communication is not always easy so it is important for you to know a little about the basics of good communication to aid your reflections and study of how to improve your communication/interpersonal skills.

Effective communication is recognised as a core competence for all people who work in public service. The failings in care at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust were documented in the Francis Report (Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, 2013) which highlighted the need for a patient-centred and compassionate service for patients. It stated that nursing staff should be recruited in line with core values and behaviours termed the ‘6 Cs’. These values and behaviours are not new but are put together to reflect the values and beliefs that underpin care wherever it takes place.

THE 6 Cs

The 6 Cs are:

Care – all nurses, midwives and care staff commit to look after patients with care.

Compassion – all pledge to deliver care with compassion, empathy, kindness, trust, respect and dignity.

Competence – there is an assurance that this care will be delivered by competent nurses, midwives and care staff who have the relevant knowledge, skills and education and who receive ongoing training and support.

Communication – all promise that there will be improved communication with patients as partners in their care, recognising that communication at a time of vulnerability will always be remembered.

Courage – all promise that care will be delivered with the courage to speak up when things are wrong, to spread good practice, to challenge, to say stop and to place the interests of others before one’s own.

Commitment – all staff will make a commitment to work as a team and make this care happen for every patient, all day every day. (NHS England, 2013)

Communication is at the foundation of each of the 6 Cs, enabling health and social care workers to demonstrate care and compassion, listening to those we care for and to our colleagues and speaking up when we feel we need to. It is at the heart of effective teamwork, ensuring that everyone works together to provide the best care possible.

READING ACTIVITY 1.1

Find and read one of the following documents that is relevant to your field of work or study. As you read, make notes about how you think the document demonstrates how important good communication is.

The document Compassion in Practice: Nursing Midwifery and Care Staff. Our Vision and Strategy gives detailed information about the 6 Cs. This can be found at: www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/compassion-in-practice.pdf

If you are studying to work in any social setting that involves children and young people, find and read the policy document The Common Core of skills and knowledge. This is available online at: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120119192332/http:/cwdcouncil.org.uk/common-core

If you are studying to work in any NHS setting you should download and read The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework, which helps to guide development and identify the knowledge and skills that you will need in your job. A simplified version can be found at: www.nhsemployers.org/SimplifiedKSF

If you are studying to work within adult social care you should download and read Skills for Care’s Common Induction Standards, which are the standards people working in adult social care need to meet before they can safely work unsupervised. These can be found at: www.skillsforcare.com/Standards/Common-Induction-Standards/Common-Induction-Standards.aspx

Now that you have read the document most relevant to your field of study, have a look at the other documents and compare the detail. You will find lots of other interesting links that may be useful later on within your studies. You will have found that all the documents have effective communication as a ‘core condition’ of working with people.

TOWARDS A DEFINITION OF COMMUNICATION

There are numerous definitions of communication in the Oxford English Dictionary. So where should we begin? Before pinning it down to specific definitions, let’s begin by looking at what we understand, within the broader context, communication to be.

WRITING ACTIVITY 1.1

1 Jot down your own understanding of what the term ‘communication’ means.

2 Based on what you have jotted down, try to shape those ideas into a working definition.

Creating a succinct definition that takes into account everything you have noted is difficult and you could try to compare your notes with what your fellow students have written. Are there any comparisons to be made or are your definitions completely different?

My definition of communication

My initial list of what the term ‘communication’ means was very long. It is what this whole book is all about but, when I came to determine my own definition, my thoughts immediately focused on the notion that communication is about any interaction we have with others. This seemed nice and simple on the surface but as I started to tease the definition out I found several issues that needed to be worked through. The use of the word ‘any’ creates difficulty for me in exploring what I want to focus on and the use of the word ‘others’ over-complicates things too.

‘Others’ could be animals or other living things. I have been known to share my innermost thoughts with my cat (thank goodness he cannot repeat these to other people) and I have been seen talking to plants and vegetables in the garden. At the time of writing I am talking to my computer, not that it ever responds, and perhaps that is the key. I decided to keep my definition simple and, in the context of this book, I define it to be any interaction that takes place between people.

Even though I have tried to keep it simple my definition is still very complicated. Our interactions don’t just take place face to face, they take place on many different levels and we use a variety of different methods and many modes of delivery in getting our message across. So, the rider to my definition is that ‘communication’ is a very difficult term to pin down to one simple statement. When studying definitions of communication it is important to remember that definitions reflect the interest and background of the person making the definition, and may also reflect their perceptions and experiences, so, therefore, their definition is not necessarily true in every context.

How do we communicate?

So my next thoughts turn to the question of how we communicate. I have no doubt that you have considered this in your response to the writing activity. Communication can be anything from a personal text message from a friend, to a public advertisement on the side of a bus. It might be as simple as a smile or something as technically complicated as a piece of software for a computer. Thinking about methods and modes and channels of communication is an important aspect of understanding what we mean by communication and this is explored further later in this chapter.

When we come to study communication it quickly becomes clear just how complex a phenomenon it is, even though we all engage in it from the minute that we are conceived. On a personal level we communicate with the world around us by the things that we say, the way that we say them, and the things that we do and the way that do them. It can be the clothes we wear, how we style our hair, the way we walk, the way we talk, the way we behave, and how we demonstrate our attitude to life. Communication is all of these things and much more.

Communication, values and wellbeing

Communication affects the way we feel about ourselves as well as the way we feel about others. According to Littlejohn and Foss (2005), how we communicate is associated with “personal values”, with our “culture” and how we “value others” as well as ourselves. We live in a multicultural society and we cannot just consider how we communicate (meaning ourselves within our own cultural group) – we must consider others and how they communicate too. The NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework that you read earlier makes it quite clear that Communication (Core Dimension 1) is very closely linked with Equality and Diversity (Core Dimension 6). The Common Core of skills and knowledge for the Children’s Workforce also makes it clear that communication is closely linked with ethical practice and respect for ourselves and others.

Psychologists study communication and have argued that at every age and stage of our lives communication is fundamental to our very being. We all have different levels at which we feel comfortable communicating but we all need to do so to keep us well and functioning (West and Turner, 2007). According to Bowlby (1969) and Crowley and Hunter (2005), in situations where human beings are isolated and consequently forced into non-communication, their mental and physical health deteriorate. In tiny babies non-communication can lead to very severe consequences and be life threatening (Bowlby, 1969).

I am confident that as a result of the writing activity above you are now aware of just how big a subject communication is and, as our main focus is interpersonal skills and communicating with others, perhaps you are now able to summarise this discussion and, as a result, would like to review your own definition before moving on to look at the definitions of others.

Definitions in academic study

In academic study it is always more useful to explore subject-specific definitions or, at least, definitions written by scholars within a particular discipline. Take the following definition, for example. Wood (2004) defines communication as “a process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meaning”. On the surface this could be viewed simply as a collection of words but there are many levels on which you can explore this definition. Let us look at those words and how Wood explains her perceptions and understanding of what communication is. The definition uses the word ‘process’, which is commonly understood to be a series of actions or activities that produce something. The word ‘individuals’ suggests not just communicating with oneself but also with others. So communication, according to this definition, is about taking part or sharing actions with another person or with a group of people.

Symbols

Wood (2004) suggests that we use ‘symbols’ in our communication with ourselves and with others and that we ‘create’ and ‘interpret meaning’ through those symbols. This throws another interesting perspective into the definition. ‘Symbols’ are things that represent something else. They can be in the form of a material object, such as your country’s national flag, or they could be in the form of a symbolic action such as a gesture.

Alongside this idea we need to put the notion that we then ‘create’ and ‘interpret meanings’ from such symbolism, either through a shared activity or via our own internal understanding. That seems relatively simple but the creation and interpretation of symbols can present us with all sorts of difficulty because symbols can be interpreted differently by different people and their use in communication can be a little precarious.

REFLECTION 1.1

1 Have in front of you a small piece of paper, approximately 2 inches by 3 inches (5cm by 7.5cm), and colour it in red. Paint, felt tip or crayon will do nicely. Look at that piece of red paper. Does it mean anything to you?

2 Now imagine yourself holding that small piece of red paper above your head in a busy supermarket. Would the action of holding up your art work mean anything to the people around you? How do you think people would react to you? How do you think you would feel?

It is more than likely that people would perceive you as a little ‘odd’ and, consequently, having had a little peek at you (we are all curious beings after all) the people around you would ignore you and get on with their shopping and perhaps you would be left feeling a little foolish.

Now imagine that you are a referee on a football pitch. That little piece of red paper, all of a sudden, takes on new meaning. It has a symbolic function. It is seen as a Red Card. The Red Card symbolises that one of the players is judged by the referee to be guilty of a serious misdemeanour and is to be sent off the pitch. If you were the referee it is likely that you wouldn’t feel foolish in this situation at all; rather you would feel noticed, validated, powerful and in charge. Although, perhaps, my perceptions of what it is to be a referee are a little at odds with reality. But whose reality? This is an important issue. It seems that we all share common realities and understand symbols that are meaningful to us but each of us also has our own interpretations of the world and these interpretations are influenced by some of the factors that Littlejohn and Foss (2005) outline in relation to values, social groups and culture.

I am going to follow this through a little more as it raises important issues for us to understand. If we were observers of the football match, regardless of how big the stadium was or how many people were there, we would easily spot a small piece of red card in the hand of the man dressed in black, and we instantly recognise the meaning of the action and the symbolism of the card. Knowing the Red Card’s function we will respond, but our response isn’t always absolutely predictable, even if we all interpreted the symbolic action the same way. Our response to observing the Red Card will be in accordance with whether or not we support the referee’s decision to give a Red Card. Our interpretation of the referee’s action is likely to reflect where our support lies; is it someone on our own team who is being sent off or someone on the opposite side? Our response could be predicted by the colour of the team colours or scarf that we wear and/or by the end of the stadium at which we stand or sit while the game is being played. However, our responses to symbols are not always this clear cut.

So, something as simple as a Red Card triggers all sorts of communications and interactions among people. We all see the same symbol and we all understand the meaning, but we interpret the referee’s behaviour differently. Some of us may cheer ecstatically while others boo and jeer as loudly as possible, and then there are those who would go on to discuss the ins and outs of the decision for ever (can you detect from my communication that I dislike post-mortems of football matches? How did you detect that?).

REFLECTION 1.2

1 Can you think of other examples of symbols and symbolic actions in everyday life and how we attribute meaning to them?

2 How does that attribution of meaning influence our behaviour?

3 What are the possible consequences of symbols and symbolic actions being misinterpreted by others?

I’m sure that you were able to think of many circumstances where symbols influence your behaviour. Road traffic signs are a good example of how a symbol can influence our behaviour. The speed camera sign always makes me check my speed and traffic signage uses simple symbols to convey a whole host of messages targeted at influencing our driving behaviour. Symbols can create unity and symbols can create tension. Symbolic acts have started wars, sparked revolution and changed lives, and whether those changes were good or bad is down to your interpretation of them.

The definition offered by Wood (2004) raises some essential issues in studying communication that I was not able to raise in my definition earlier. It is important that we stop and make the time to explore definitions and try to see the world as others perceive it to be. It will enrich our understanding and enable us to make more positive decisions about how we communicate. Communication is about who we are. It isn’t a single one-off thing. It is a very complicated process and to assist you in understanding some of the complexities involved in communicating with yourself and with others, it has been broken down into different areas of study in Chapters 2 and 3.

MODES OF COMMUNICATION

Messages are communicated in many different ways. New methods of transmission and new channels of communication are developing at an incredibly rapid pace as we progress into the digital age. Over the last 50 years the developments in technology have had a massive impact on how we communicate with each other. We can connect online with someone on the other side of the world in an instant and with someone in space at the flick of a switch. Since the publication of the first edition of this book, smartphones have further revolutionised the way that we connect with others. Information technology has changed the world we live in more than any other technical phenomenon. When studying in any field of health and social care you will find that ICT plays a vital role in how we deliver, record and monitor care. As practitioners in whatever field you work in, you have a responsibility to develop and update your skills accordingly.

WRITING ACTIVITY 1.2

Think of all the different ways your grandparents and your great-grandparents may have communicated with each other and the rest of the world as young people, and draw up a list of these.

If you have the opportunity, speak with a person aged 80 years plus and see if they can confirm the ways you have identified. They may be able to add to your list with some very interesting examples of means of communication. No doubt some of their methods were quite innovative, particularly if they involved speaking with boyfriends and girlfriends without their parents being aware and, of course, communicating during the war years.

Perhaps your list will have included some of the following:

• face-to-face, person-to-person conversation;

• whistling, singing and calling out loud;

• telephone, via the operator of course;

• writing, including letters, postcards, poetry and song;

• handwritten records and ledgers and typed correspondence;

• telegraphy, telegrams and couriers;

• sign language and ticktack, and secret gestures;

• secret codes and messaging banners, flags and semaphore;

• flickering lights, and opening and shutting curtains;

• pigeon post and go-betweens, flares and other pyrotechnics;

• radio, television and cinema.

These are only the examples we could come up with but no doubt there are many more.

WRITING ACTIVITY 1.3

Cover the next section of text and extend your list to include all modes and methods of communication that you have seen or taken part in, either in your personal life or in your experience of work. It is likely to be quite long. Then compare what you have written with the list we have generated below.

• Computers, laptops, tablets;

• Text messaging, email;

• Social media like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr;

• Telephone (land line), mobile phone and smartphones;

• Blogs and podcasts;

• YouTube;

• Snapchat, Instagram, Kik and Gifboom;

• Satellite communications such as GPS and SatNav;

• Electronic records and online forms;

• Care documentation and care plans;

• Voicemail, pagers, bleeps and alarms;

• Radio waves, X-rays and scans.

This is by no means a comprehensive list and we are sure you can think of others, especially if you are information technology natives. Channels of communication are developing all the time and this requires us to be engaged in learning and developing our skills in communication throughout our lives.

CHOOSING YOUR APPROACH WHEN COMMUNICATING WITH OTHERS

When communicating directly with people, you first need to choose the mode or the approach that you are going to use and, to be effective in getting your message across, you need to consider some key issues.

REFLECTION 1.3

Imagine yourself in the workplace and being involved in communicating with a person or several people about future plans. What methods or channels of communication might you consider before engaging in that communication? Share your considerations with a colleague.

Your reflection and discussions may have involved you considering some of the following:

• Will the communication be face-to-face, written or using technology?

• Will you use letters, pictures or leaflets in the communication to help clarify what it is you are communicating?

• How much control do you have over the environment and how much control do you have over the timing of the communication?

• How many people are you communicating with and what level of understanding do they have?

• Are there any language or disability issues to consider?

• Do you want people to respond to you and, if so, how do you want them to respond to you?

• Do you want people to have the opportunity to ask questions and how much information do you need to get back from them?

• How detailed should the communication be and how important is this communication at this point?

When communicating with people in the workplace it is important that we think carefully about the channel of communication we use, so that we can make sure we pick the most effective method for them. People are individuals and what is satisfactory for one may be completely inappropriate for another. If you are working with families you may have to use several channels of communication, and to target individual members. A leaflet and a quick explanation may suffice in some circumstances but, in others, we need to employ a wide range of interpersonal and communication skills to ensure that what we do is effective for everyone concerned.

STUDYING COMMUNICATIONS THEORY

Studying communications theory can help us to understand how communication works and to determine the most effective communication channel to use. Knowing how communication works, we can then understand how, why and where communication goes wrong. When communication goes wrong in health and social care settings the consequences can be far-reaching. People and families can be misjudged, errors in decision-making can be made and care may be seriously compromised, leaving you and the people you care for at risk.

If we can identify how communication takes place and understand its process, we can develop strategies to ensure that communication is effective and meets the needs of all concerned. To help you understand communication we are first going to look at the key frameworks within which the theories and models of communication are set.

Frameworks of communication

There are four main frameworks for theories of communication. These are:

• Mechanistic – this framework was originally used by people working on radio and telephone communications and incorporates a transmission model of communication.

• Psychological – this framework concentrates far more on how we feel during a communication and our emotional responses.

• Social Constructionist – this framework is concerned with how we all construct different realities from the same experiences. The Symbolic Interaction Theory that we will be looking at is included in this framework.

• Systemic – this framework concentrates on the way that communication is part of a whole system and how, within that system, each part of the communication is repeatedly re-examined and reworked.

We are going to look at two models of communication within these frameworks. The first is a Transmission Model. This type of model is included in the Mechanistic Framework and is said to be linear in its process. It is a simple straightforward model that is easy to understand and can be very useful in helping analyse communication processes between people and organisations.

The second model we will look at is a Transactional Model that combines principles from the Psychological, Social Constructionist and Systemic frameworks. The Transactional Model is more complicated than the Mechanistic one and further explores the experience of shared meanings in our communications with others that we discussed earlier. We will then follow an example of a Transactional Model in practice by exploring the psychotherapeutic theory of Transactional Analysis in Chapter 4.

The Shannon and Weaver Transmission Model

One of the earliest, most basic and well-known communication models is that of Shannon and Weaver (1949). Their model is sometimes referred to as the ‘Mother of Communication Models’ and it provides a good starting point for anyone studying communication theory.

As you can see in Figure 1.1, the arrows that show transmission from the Information Source to the Destination point in only one direction, reflecting the belief that messages flow in only one direction at any given time. It is therefore a linear process.

The Shannon and Weaver model consists of five parts and what they term ‘noise’. In a face-to-face communication

1. the information would be the idea that you had in your head;

2. the transmitter would be you sending the message;

3. the channel would be your voice as you speak the idea;

4. the receiver would be the ear of the person to whom you are talking;

5. the destination would be the intended person’s head.

Noise, as you can see, can occur at any point within that communication process, and can prevent the original thought or idea reaching its destination intact and as intended. Noise can be anything. Noise might be

• physical, i.e. what we commonly call noise, a loud sound (physical noise);

• psychological, i.e. an emotion such as anxiety or a strongly-held point of view or a cultural barrier (psychological noise);

• semantic, i.e. a language or representation problem (semantic noise);

• physiological, i.e. deafness, blindness or pain (physiological noise).

Noise can interrupt the communication at any stage.

REFLECTION 1.4

1 Imagine yourself in a busy work area. What sorts of noise do you think might stop your message getting through to another person?• Are people or machines making a ‘noise’?• Is the other person in an emotional state, are they flustered, worried, angry or even frightened?• Is their perception of the situation different from yours?• Do they understand the language you are using?• Do they have a particular communication problem?

2 Make a list of some of the common things that you think would cause ‘noise’ and interfere with communications in your place of work, and discuss your experiences with a colleague. It might help if you list the noises under the headings offered. You’ll be surprised at what constitutes ‘noise’, particularly when you explore the psychological aspect.

If your message is not getting across, this simple model gives you the opportunity to explore some of the reasons why. Once the ‘noise’ is identified you can then try to eliminate or at least modify the ‘noise’ or message in some way. The possibilities are all subject to the nature of the ‘noise’ and may require you to do some strategic thinking and extra planning to ensure your message gets across. Can you think of any recent examples of ‘noise’ interfering with a message you wanted to convey? In Chapters 2 and 6 we will look at noise again by thinking about blocks and barriers to communication and we’ll be exploring ways of overcoming these barriers in order to ensure effective communication.

As teachers we experience ‘noise’ in the learning situation all the time, particularly in the large groups that we sometimes have to teach. We often hear colleagues say, ‘I told the students yesterday, why don’t they listen?’ Our response is always the same. Telling someone something doesn’t mean they have heard what you say and, using Shannon and Weaver’s model, our approach is to identify the ‘noise’ that stopped the message getting across and to try other ways to make sure the message is delivered, heard and understood. Other methods to overcome noise in this example will often involve using alternative modes and channels of communication including announcements, notices, ICT, other people, good old repeating oneself, using humour to capture attention, jumping up and down or sometimes even whispering. These are all strategies that we use in the classroom. The strategies you use should be appropriate to the situation and to the person or people you are communicating with. Never believe that people have heard exactly what you meant to say without first checking their understanding and making sure the message reached its destination intact and as you intended it. Using such a simple strategy will help avoid all sorts of complications later on.

Julia Wood’s Transactional Model

The other model of communication to be discussed here is a Transactional Model developed by Julia Wood (2004). Earlier in this chapter we explored her definition of communication. You will recall that communication is:

“…a systemic process in which individuals interact with and through symbols to create and interpret meanings.”

(Wood, 2004)

That definition was then broken down into components for analysis, and part of this discussion explored the significance of symbols in our communication, how they impact upon our behaviour and how we create and interpret meanings through that process.

Wood (2004) offers the following diagram (Figure 1.2) to illustrate communications taking place between two people.

In this model you can see that communicator A transmits a message to communicator B, who receives the message, decodes the message, has a reaction to the message and then responds to communicator A. Notice that the ‘noise’ surrounds the process and that ‘shared messages’ have a direct impact on the communication between the two.

This is a far more complex model of communication than Shannon and Weaver’s which, you will recall, was linear in its process. In this model messages are being sent backwards and forwards all the time, not just in one direction but simultaneously. The Transactional Model focuses on how we interpret meaning and how meanings are shared within our communication with other people.

When communication goes wrong it is often the result of meaning being misinterpreted. Meaning in communication is said to be negotiated between the people concerned. For example, if you use a word in one context with friends it will be interpreted in a particular way by that social group but, use the same word or communication with your teachers or parents, and the meaning is not shared on the same level. For example, the words ‘sick’, ‘whatever’ and ‘random’ come to mind, as we know older people’s interpretations of these words are completely different from those of younger people. There are, no doubt, lots of other examples you can think of. Our language is constantly developing and has to accommodate new ways of living, new technologies and new ways of expressing feelings and thoughts. Social groups use a common language to communicate on a psychological and sociological level that isn’t always instantly apparent to people on the outside of that group.

The language we use, our non-verbal behaviours and the symbols we include in our communications all play a powerful role in establishing and sharing meaning. It is important to remember that understanding something is a subjective experience. We construct meaning in social contexts and share a mutual awareness and often a mutual language that is culturally bound and age-related.

The Transactional Model is a more accurate model of what really happens in face-to-face communication than the Shannon and Weaver model. The Transactional Model takes into consideration all the aspects of communication that we looked at earlier in this chapter. It is also a better basis for any new communication system you might consider creating to help the people you work with. What is it in the Transactional Model that makes it so much better at explaining what real-life communication is like? The answer lies in the channels of communication.

Channels of communication

In the Transactional Model multiple channels are being used. For example:

• facial expressions;

• body angle;

• posture;

• presentation;

• tone of voice;

• words;

• word images;

• role portrayal.

If you refer back to Figure 1.2 you will see that not only are multiple channels being used, but the arrows point both ways instead of in just one way. The person sending the message is at the same time receiving a message through the same channels. As each person receives a message they are simultaneously decoding it. They are using all their previous experiences and memories to sift through what they are receiving in order to give meaning to it. At the same time they are creating and sending their own message and there is still all that ‘noise’ going on around the communications being sent, received and decoded.

There are a number of channels that we use to communicate with others. These channels or methods tend to correspond to particular senses such as sight and hearing and, for each channel that we use, there is a method or way that facilitates its use best. We all communicate in many different forms, and the methods available for us to communicate are always increasing as information and communication technology develops, providing us with the opportunity to use multiple channels of communication to get our messages across. All the channels or methods have different advantages and disadvantages. When choosing a way to communicate, some of the aspects that you need to take into consideration are:

• how much time is available;

• how many people you are communicating with;

• whether you want people to reply to you;

• whether you want people to be able to ask you questions;

• how much information you want to get from them;

• how much information you want to give them;

• how many senses (seeing, hearing, smelling) you need them to use for them to understand the information.

The way we choose to communicate with people depends on the channels of communication open to us. In a normal situation you do not notice yourself deciding on the considerations above when you communicate with someone. However, as someone working in a helping capacity in the health and social care fields, you do need to think more carefully about the best ways to communicate with someone else. You need to take into account their needs and not just yours and balance those needs against the needs of the organisation you work within.

The message here is that once you start to unpick a communication and begin analysing the process you can start to appreciate the depth of meaning that lies behind the words and actions that you engage in. Even if you try not to interact with others you are still communicating with them. By hiding in the sluice or in the back room/office or just by simply staring out of the window you are communicating that you do not wish to interact with them. We communicate with all of our senses, our sight, hearing, smell and touch – in fact, we cannot not communicate and in order to ensure that what we are communicating is appropriate, we need to be more consciously aware of the impact we have on others. Chapter 2 will focus on how we can raise our awareness of ourselves and gain insight into the way that we interact with others.

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Seven key points to take away from Chapter 1:

 Effective communication is the key to developing and delivering high-quality help and care.

 Policy and legislation indicate that effective communication is a core skill for all people who work in public service.

 It is important that we consider the different methods and modes of communication that we use in different contexts.

 We use ‘symbols’ in our communication and create and interpret meaning through symbols.

 Modes of communication have changed rapidly over the last 50 years and technology has revolutionised the way that we communicate.

 We need to choose the most effective mode or channel of communication when we communicate directly with people, so that our message is conveyed in the most effective way.

 Communications theory can help us to understand how communication works and help us to determine the most effective communication channel to use.

USEFUL READING

You will already be familiar with the documents listed in Reading activity 1.1. If you are interested in finding out more about communications theory, the following books would be useful:

Hargie, O. (1986) A Handbook of Communication Skills. London: Routledge.

Littlejohn, S.W. and Foss, K.A. (2005) Theories of Human Communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Wood, J. (2004) Communication Theories in Action: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

REFERENCES

Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment. New York: Basic Books.

Children’s Workforce Development Council (2010). The Common Core of skills and knowledge. Leeds: CWDC.

Crowley, P. and Hunter, J. (2005) Putting the public back into public health. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 59: 265–267.

Littlejohn, S.W. and Foss, K.A. (2005) Theories of Human Communication. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust (2013). Available at: www.midstaffs publicinquiry.com/report (accessed 3 February 2015).

NHS (2013) Compassion in Practice – our culture of compassionate care. Available at: www.england.nhs.uk/nursingvision/ (accessed 3 February 2015).

NHS Employers (2014) Simplified Knowledge and Skills Framework (KSF). Available at: www.nhsemployers.org/SimplifiedKSF (accessed 3 February 2015).

Shannon, C. and Weaver, W. (1949) The Mathematical Theory of Communication. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.

West, R. and Turner, L.H. (2007) Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and application. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Wood, J. (2004) Communication Theories in Action: An introduction. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.