There are certain common signs or gestures that most people automatically recognise. For example, a wave of the hand can mean hello or goodbye and a thumbs up can mean that all is well. Pictures of all forms and objects also communicate messages to people more easily if they can not speak nor understand a certain language.
Lip reading
People with normal hearing subconsciously use information from the lips and face to help understand what is being said. Many people misunderstand deafness, thinking that if someone can’t hear very well they are being rude or stupid, and this can leave a deaf person feeling very isolated, excluded from everyday activities and conversations, frustrated and lacking in confidence. Lip reading is a technique of interpreting the movements of a person’s lips, face and tongue, along with information provided by any remaining hearing. It is used by someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. It is therefore important that you look directly at someone who is lip reading and stand in a well lit area, when speaking.
Sign Language
Languages do not have to be based on languages that are herd. Signing systems such as the British sign language provides a language system for those who do not use the spoken language. It is another form of communication for people who have hearing impairments. Sign language is a language which instead of using sounds uses visual signs. These are made up of the shapes, positions and movement of the hands, arms or body and facial expressions to express a speaker’s thoughts. Sign language is commonly used in communities which include the friends and families of deaf people as well as people who are deaf or hard of hearing themselves.
Visual, electronic and written communication
People can communicate across distance and time by using books, email, and text messages. Information such as books, magazines, newspapers, films videos, tapes and cd’s helps us to re-experience events or messages from the past. Recorded communication does not have to be visual.
Braille
Braille is a style of communication which is based on the sense of touch for people who may have limited vision.
In communication there are 2 ways that communication can be put across and that can either be formal or informal.
Formal
Formal communication tends to start with a greeting such as ‘Good morning, how are you feeling today?’ it can be used to show respect for others. Formal conversation is often used when a professional such as a health worker speaks to someone using a service. It is clear, correct and avoids any misunderstandings. An example of formal communication would be communication with a manager as it is usually formal. A manager is usually more distant from those they manage so that if they need to for example issue a final warning it is less awkward for both than if they were friends.
Informal
Informal communication (often used between people who know each other well, like friends and family) is more likely to start with ‘Hi, how are you?’ and allows for more variety according to the area someone lives in. For example, in some places it is common for people to call other people ‘Love’ even if they have only just met them. People usually communicate more informally with friends, including those they work closely with on a day-to-day basis.
In my one to one activity I used effective communication, empowerment. I used effective communication by clearly explaining to him what it was that he was going to be doing so that we didn’t have any misunderstandings that could knock his confidence and would make he feel as if he didn’t want to read out loud because he didn’t understand me clearly the first time and because he might have been to scared to tell me that he didn’t understand what it what it was that he was going to be doing. I also used effective communication by using hand gestures and making sure my body posture was just right ensuring it was sending out positive messages rather than negative ones so that he would be confident enough to ask me for help if he interpreted my body posture as ‘willing to help’. I used empowerment as throughout the activity I was asking if he was enjoying the activity and if he wanted to change it in anyway, and see whether there was anything else that he would prefer to do. I used a soft toned voice whilst I was talking to his asking him if he was alright throughout the activity ensuring that he didn’t get distressed.
In my group activity I used effective communication, anti-discrimination, empowerment, the right to be treated equal and the right to be respected. I used effective communication by clearly explaining to the group of children what it was that they was doing, and to ensure that they all understood I spoke to the children separately making sure they had the right idea because one of the children might no of understood me but said they did because all of the other children said they did and they didn’t want to feel different or look silly in front of the other children. I used empowerment when I had a one to one conversation with the children I asked them if they was enjoying the activity and if there was anything that they wasn’t enjoying, and if there was anything that they would rather do. I also used anti-discrimination in m group activity as there was a range of children from different cultures. I had 3 children from white families and one child from a mixed race background. I did this by treating all of the children the exact same with equal rights. I also used the rights to be treated equal as all of the children were treated equal no matter there race, age or gender. I also promoted the rights to be respected as I acknowledged individuals rights to do something how they wanted to do it as they may have wanted to do it that way for certain reasons.
Barriers to effective communication
It is very important to be able to communicate effectively in a health or social care setting. A service user will not be able to take part in a discussion about their care or planning their future if they do not understand what is being said. If the person providing the service cannot find a way to understand what it is that the service users is trying to ask for then they cannot help.
There are many factors that affect communication, they are:
- sensory deprivation
- foreign language
- jargon
- slang
- dialect
- Acronyms
- Cultural differences
- Distress
- Emotional difficulties
- Health issues
- Environmental issues
- Misinterpretation of the message
Sensory deprivation
This is when someone cannot receive or pass on information because they have impairment to one or more of their senses, most commonly a visual or hearing disability.
Foreign language
This is when someone speaks a different language or uses sign language, they may no be able to make any sense of the information they are being given by someone trying to help them if that person that person does not speak their language.
Jargon
This is when a service provider used technical language the service user may not understand.
Slang
This is when a service user uses language that not everyone uses such as saying they have a problem with their water works, this can mean their plumbing system but also mean problem going to the toilet. Using any language that can be misunderstood or misinterpreted can cause offence.
Dialect
This is when people use different words for everyday objects or feelings depending on the area of a county they come from. For example is some areas on England people say ‘innit’ instead of ‘isn’t it’ or ‘summet’ rather than ‘something’ it may cause confusion as some people may not have a clue what they are going o about.
Acronyms
This is when words are shortened to initials, there are lots of acronyms is health and social care and they can be very confusing as not everyone will know what they mean and can be mistaken for something else which could cause problems, it can also make people feel left out because the terms are not familiar to them.
Cultural differences
This is when the same thing means different things in two different cultures, it can be difficult to interpret it in the correct way if one culture take it as an insult and another don’t. For example it is seen as polite and respectful to make eye contact when speaking to someone in Western culture but in other cultures such as East Asia it can be seen as rude and defiant.
Distress
This is when someone is distresses and they might find it hare to communicate, they may not listen properly and may interpret or not understand what is being said. They may also be tearful and have difficulty speaking.
Emotional difficulties
This is when someone may be feeling upset because of an argument or break up with partner or friend or a loss of a member of family or friend, it may affect them as they as they may not be able to understand what people are saying to them. This can lead to misunderstandings.
Health issues
This is when someone may be feeling ill and may not be able to communicate as effectively as when they are feeling well.
Environmental problems
This is when communication is affected by the environment that people find themselves in. For example someone who can not see very well will struggle to read written information in dimly lit rooms. A person who is in a wheelchair may find it impossible to communicate with the receptionist at the dentist if the reception desk is too high and above the wheelchair users head.
Misinterpretation of message
This is when someone reads a persons body language wrongly. For example someone with their arms folded and tapping their feet might be impatiently waiting for someone who is late but you might look at them and assume they are cross with you. This can put you off asking for help.
In my one to one activity barriers that affected my communication was that I sat on the other side of the table so I had to speak quiet loud and at times I spoke to loud and quickly so he couldn’t understand what I was saying. Another barrier that had affected my communication was jargon, slang and dialect, when I was explaining the task he didn’t understand my use of language. To over come this I re worded what it was that I was trying to say into short clear sentences avoiding jargon and slang. Also when I was explaining what to do to him my hand gestures were not clearly sowing him. Another barrier for my one to one activity was environmental difficulties, as we was in a noisy environment and the activity was reading a book he would get distracted and loose concentration.
n my group activity the barriers that affected my communication was that at times I spoke quietly so that they couldn’t hear me, so I had to repeat what I was saying. I also used words they couldn’t understand as they wouldn’t know what the word meant, to over come this I had to rephrase my wording so that it was simple and easy for them to understand everything that I was saying clearly. Also in my group I had one child that had hearing impairments in one ear, which means if I was stood or sat on one side of him he wouldn’t of 100% completely heard me clearly so I have to make sure they when I was talking in order for him to hear me I had to be stood in front of him or by the side that he could hear from.
I feel that my communication skills in my one to one activity went well as I used a different range of communication skills and he seemed to enjoy the activity as when I asked him at the end of the activity if he enjoyed it or learned anything new he stated ‘I enjoyed the activity and I learned how to break down works to make it easier for me to read’. I feel that my one to one activity went well as he understood what it was I was trying to teach him and understood how it was easier at the end of the activity. During the activity I also made sure that he dint feel uncomfortable in any way so that he would feel confident enough to read out laud and ask me for help when he got stuck, in which I succeeded. I kept him interested throughout the activity by asking him questions about what was happening in the book.
My activity could have been better as I could have used a lot more eye contact when I was talking to him and when he was talking to me to show that I was listening and that I was interested so he didn’t feel that I wasn’t. I could have also used a lot more facial expressions and give a lot more praise such as smiling a lot more and praising when he was doing really well so that it would boost his confidence. It would also show him that I was enjoying the activity and that I wasn’t only doing it because I had no other option but to.
In my group activity I feel that it went accordingly well as I used different communication skills and the children seemed to enjoy the activity. The children seemed to understand what it was that they were doing and what I was saying to them, so I believe it went well. It also went well as they didn’t feel uncomfortable asking questions throughout the activity if they didn’t understand anything that I had said.
The activity could be improved by using more eye contact as I didn’t look them in the eyes as much as i should have as I was facing the middle speaking to them not looking directly at them, so they may have felt that I wasn’t really interested and didn’t want to speak to them. I could have also used a lot more relevant hand gestures whilst I was explaining what they was doing so that they could understand me a lot easier.
