Communications. I will be examining the different methods we can use to overcome barriers when communicating in health and social care provisions.

by tasha25 (student)

Communication M2

In this assignment I will be examining the different methods we can use to overcome barriers when communicating in health and social care provisions. I will be looking at the strengths and weaknesses of these tactics to see if they are effective. The strategies I will be studying are… staff training, awareness of non-verbal communication, how to diffuse aggression, being assertive and building relationship. To keep the communication cycle going effectively, communication should entail…..

Staff training is an effective way in which authorities can use to overcome communication barriers. Communicating with people who are depressed aggressive or anxious usually develops by reflecting back at their own experiences however the strengths to staff training is that it normally involves people practicing vital skills and also theories in overcoming barriers to communication preparing them to effective communication. Like asking the right questions, listening well and looking at body language. Are the service users getting enough time to take in the information that have been delivered?

The weaknesses of staff training is that the specialist will need to take time out of work to do this and may create a disadvantage if a patient needs to see the specialist. Additionally the specialist may not communicate as well within their role if the person needs to get on with work associating with staff training.

Looking at case study one and three I believe staff training was needed there. In both cases the non-verbal communication was not picked up for example, in case study one, questions should have been asked repeatedly throughout the meeting like, do you understand? so then by asking that question the professions would have known that they had understood although, the disadvantages of non- verbal communication is that body language can be taken the wrong way for example, the Singh’s were just sitting their nodding their heads which may have come across to the professionals that they were understanding. Nodding the head normally implies that you are agreeing.

However the professions didn’t pick up that the Singh’s couldn’t speak much English that is why maybe they were nodding intermitted. It was because they wasn’t understanding. The Singh’s may have wanted to speak but couldn’t due to not speaking much English and also they may have felt threatened because there was lots of professional people there. Secondly case study three shows the doctor not picking up the non-verbal communication that Yolander was clearly showing and dealing with it appropriately. The doctor needed to be more aware of the non- verbal communication showing by Yolander. Yolander’s body language was showing she was upset and very frightened

Building relationships and appropriate verbal and non- verbal communication (intellectual, social)

Building relationships with individuals in health and social care settings is important and includes appropriate verbal and non- verbal communication and skilful listening. Showing a person interest by using kind, welcoming non-verbal communication can include, suitable eye contact, a calm and relaxed body posture, smiling, gestures and hand movements showing interest.

Relating to case study three, the doctor that Yolander went to see should have built a relationship with Yolander and used appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication to overcome the barriers in the doctors.

The doctor did ...

This is a preview of the whole essay

Building relationships and appropriate verbal and non- verbal communication (intellectual, social)

The doctor did not talk to Yolander or use any kind of non-verbal communication to help her feel comfortable. The doctor should have shown her more of a friendly welcoming and tell her she will be okay and speak to both her and her mother and tell them what is going to happen, step by step so Yolander could understand and this may have calmed her down then she may not have felt so anxious. The doctor could have used appropriate everyday language in order for Yolander to understand and just by understanding this could have made her feel much better and calm her down.

The weakness of this is that Yolander may not have wanted to talk to the doctor because it wasn’t her normal doctor or because she was emotional she may not have wanted to listen as she didn’t want to go to the hospital.

Non-verbal communication

It is vital to know that it’s the nonverbal communication such as gestures, eye contact, body language, facial expressions that voices the loudest. It is a skill to use and understand, body language and non-verbal communication. Using this skill can able you to link with others, say what you mean and enhance relationships.

When we connect with individuals we repeatedly receive and give out silent signals for example, the amount of eye contact a person makes, posture, how loud or fast a person talks, and how an individual stands. All non-Verbal behaviours send powerful messages. When a person stops speaking the non-verbal communication is still showing. The way a person looks, moves, reacts and listens shows the other individual if you care or not, if you’re listening well or are truthful. When the non-verbal signs coincide with the words that are being used, the trust increases and when it doesn’t, it create mistrust, confusion and tension.

Relating to case study one – awareness of non- verbal communication- The professionals in the meeting should have taking into account that the Singh’s are from a different culture and some things said can be hard for them to talk about. Throughout the meeting the communication cycle should have been recognised. The Singh’s were not asked at any time in the meeting if they understood. If they would have done this, they would have known that the Singh’s were not understanding properly by the look of bewilderment on the Singh’s faces. The professionals’ should have looked out for the non-verbal communication signs.

Assertiveness

Assertiveness is a vital Interpersonal skill which is about being capable of putting across feelings, wants, desires and wishes suitably. When communicating with people in a health and social care settings, being assertive can help a person put across what they need to say in an open, clear acceptable way. Without weakening the rights of others or yourself.

Assertiveness allows a person to represent themselves in the best way without feeling nervous and being able to express their feeling contently. Additionally being assertive benefits a person to stand up for their individual rights without refusing others people’s rights.

In case study four, the boy’s mother needed to be more assertive about her son’s behaviour and tell the nursery that she thought he may have ADHD. This would have helped a lot in the way the nursery staff could have communicated with him. There will be different ways to communicate with a child with ADHD such as, one to one, as the child will have a short attention span and get bored easy. The weaknesses of this, is that the mother may have felt embarrassed and not confident enough to tell the nursery her worries because her son was not fully diagnosed. She communicated in a passive way.

Furthermore relating to this case study four, the staff would need more training. I say this because the staff didn’t show assertiveness when talking to the mother.

When the mother said to the staff her boy was not allowed to eat certain foods, the staff should have acted upon that and ask more questions about it

Aggression

When a person responds to someone aggressively, the self-esteem and rights of that person is weakened. Aggressive reactions can come under many behaviours such as, ignoring someone, telling someone what to do instead of asking and Not taking into consideration someone else’s feelings.

Good interpersonal Abilities involve a person needing to be knowledgeable of the many ways of communicating and be responsive to any approaches that might aggravate.

Using aggressive or passive behaviour in interpersonal relationships can have an adverse effect on the other person. It could hold back positive steps onwards.

Someone who behaves aggressively doesn’t consider other peoples opinions or feelings and this kind of response places other people down and influences the other person to react in a non-assertive way, either passively or aggressively.

How to defuse aggression… staying calm by showing the other person you are not aggressive. Keep the posture and facial expressions relaxed, do not clench fist or tense the face. It would be a good idea also to not stare straight into someone’s eyes and keep breathing relaxed.

To show respect a person can use the non-verbal communication by being relaxed and using listening skills so the other person knows you are listening well.

Make the person feel that they can trust you by making them feel important and valued and also by not going along with everything they say.

Try to solve problems. This can only be done when the other individual reacts to your calming behaviour. You can work this out by the nonverbal communication by looking at the other person to see if they are relaxed.

Defusing aggression would need to be used in case study four where the little boy uses aggressive behaviour in the nursery to express how he feels. Maybe because he has a condition or because of the way the staff dealt with the situation.

Many children with ADHD find it difficult to express themself so they might get frustrated and their messages may come out in an aggressive manner. It would be important for the staff to be fully trained in communicating with children with ADHD.

To communicate well with a child with ADHD you would have to be very clear and simple when speaking and ask the child to repeat back to you what has been said.

Technical and human aids used in communication

There are many services that can help a person to communicate or assist to take away the barriers to effective communication.

Advocates are people who speak for a person who is maybe vulnerable and cannot speak for themselves. They get to know the person and their needs and help them in the best possible way of getting what they want and need.

Translators and interpreters are very effective on helping to overcome language and cultural barriers.

Translating is when a person changes recorded information between two languages however it is not just about changing the words, translators have to also decode the message as all words don not have equivalence.

Professional translators even find it hard to express what someone is saying in a different language.

Interpreters are individuals that speak from one language to another.

This can also include interpreting from sign language and verbalised. When a person has an interpreter they also then become part of the communication cycle.

Interpreters can be professions who work for places like social services or other health and social care settings. They are there to help people who speak another language or sign language. In some cases people use their own families to interpret what they want to say. If people don’t have their family to interpret for them they would find it very hard to communicate if translators and interpreters were not there.

There are several others way that assist people with communication and help them overcome the barriers which are….Braille, Makaton, hearing aids befrienders and many more.

Again I am going to link case study one with this information as I feel that an interpreter was needed in the meeting. The whole meeting must have made the Singh’s feel confused, mixed up and intimidated. There was not one person throughout the meeting that ask the Singh’s how they felt about what was being said and what their thoughts were. The preference or language needs were not thought about and not any of the professions ask the Singh’s if they understood.

The care plan was decided at the end of the discussion. It was decided on what the professionals thought and the Singh’s were just to agree with it.

The people who held the meeting should have thought more about the communication between the professionals and the Singh’s before the meeting had started. The Singh’s should have been shown respect by being asked what their preferred language is and if they wished to communicate using their own language. There are numerous things that could have been put in place to prevent this barrier such as a translator or an interpreter. This would have helped the Singh’s to understand more of what was going on and respecting and valuing them.

Overall this assignment shows that it is important that the barriers to communication are recognised and overcome. There are many strategies that can be put in place in order for this to happen. If you are working in a health and social care setting it is significant to become more perceptive to the clues and body language of other people and most important your own.

References

Health and social care book