- Feared that the client will not understand my deep feelings and what I’m talking about.
- Feared of hurting the client
- Feared that my client may hurt me by blaming me or putting me down.
- Feared of being rejected by my client. Feared of not being taken seriously. Feared of negative feedback from my client.
- Feared of appearing stupid.
- Feared that I will not be able to cope with my client’s reactions.
-
Feared of making a bad situation worse, or ruining a good situation.
I overcame the potential barriers to communications by:
- Not interrupting when a client or another carer was talking.
- Keeping myself calm and confident
- Not labeling anyone meaning that I didn’t say things like ‘What do you know’ to my clients
- I didn’t take over the conversation, silencing everyone else
- I tried not to take over the problem and make the problem mine or regularly overacting during the discussion making my clients afraid to tell me anything.
- I didn’t make use of mixed messages during my discussion meaning encouraging any of my carers in a negative undertone way, saying things like “You have so much potential”, when actually meaning to say “You're nothing”.
- Paid full attention to what my clients and carers had to say
Evaluation of my group communication skills/action plan for improvement
I used a wide range of group communication skills during the setting up process of the group activity and the video exercise; the following discussion is a detailed serious review of my strengths, my weaknesses and my improvements, this evidence is based on my own evaluation and also peer evaluation
My Strengths
An important strength of my group communication was that I was able to effectively show understanding to all of the clients I interacted with throughout the role-play. I established this by listening carefully to their views ad making sure that I maintained appropriate levels of eye contact and an open body posture; I didn’t slouch or turn away from the clients who I was communicating with, I smiled and nodded to illustrate that I was listening to them. This is very important because it shows the clients that I respect them and that I am authentically interested in what they have to say in relative to their needs.
In the role-play I think that I showed very good active listening skills as I looked at the person who was talking and I also tried to repeat some of the things that the client had said (i.e. paraphrasing). For example I kept in mind what the client had said and, to make sure that I heard it correctly, I tried to repeat the point so the client could correct me, if necessary. Paraphrasing, consequently, allowed me to check for accuracy of understanding but more importantly it communicated to the client that I was listening and was trying to understand their needs and concerns.
I also thought that I Was really good at making eye contact with the person I was talking to, making eye contact with the clients showed that I was focusing all my thoughts on what my client had to say, it also stimulated trust, and conveyed a sense of interest and warmth. For example
-
I faced the client who was talking and maintained eye contact.
- I was thoughtful yet relaxed,
- I kept an open mind.
- I listened to the words and tried to picture what the client was saying
- I didn’t look out the window, look down or gaze around the room looking as though I was bored.
- I tried to give the client regular feedback, for example I summarized and reflected feelings.
I ended my conversation by wrapping up with a polite closing statement
‘That’s still not preventing any further health issues but at the end of the day as long as you’re aware of them that’s all I can say’
By using a polite closing statement it showed my clients that even though I took the discussion seriously at the end of the day it was their choice what decision they wanted to make not mine.
My Weaknesses
Seen, as I was very nervous at the start I thought that if I said anything out of tone then it would get picked up on in the video. So the pressure came on for me to make sure that I didn’t speak out of tone, but I did my best to talk slowly and loudly so the clients could understand me. This was quite hard for me to do, as there was the added pressure of my group assessing me to. I sort of struggled when I said my last lines because I wanted to get it over and done with, I tried saying it fast that I forgot what I was saying However I feel that I generally managed to relax, and improve the way I spoke to them because the atmosphere became a lot less tense and more friendly and relaxed. So I concentrated on communicating with the clients.
Having watched the video of the case conference discussion and also read the client’s evaluation sheets of my group communication skills; it is clear that I have certain weaknesses that need to be improved. My voice was to quiet and low during the group discussion when talking to my carer and clients. Even though I was pretty nervous I didn’t use any non-verbal communication as a sign of bad communication for example I didn’t fold my arms, this would have Cleary shown to the clients that I was being defensive and was scared to talk to them. I tried to smile at my clients I didn’t slouch back in my chair, which would have given, the impression to the rest of the group that I was bored.
My improvements/Action Plan
Having essentially reflected on my weaknesses, as all good practitioners do, I have devised a step-by-step action plan for improving my group communication skills. I believe that my approach is workable and, therefore realistic, because I am going to work towards making small, but progressive, improvements during the next few weeks.
One way that I could improve my communication skills is to try and participate orally in lessons to build up my confidence, because I’m usually quiet and hardly ever participate unless the teacher picks on me just to answer a question because she/he knows that I’m shy.
After evaluating my communication skills I decided to evaluate each of the other carer’s communication skills that were in my role-play.
Jodie’s strength’s, weaknesses and ways she can improve on her communication skills
The 3 different communication skills that Jodie used effectively during the meeting was that she maintained eye contact with the person she was talking to, eye contact helps regulate the flow of communication and signals interest in others, she listened very carefully to what the other person had got to say and increased her tone of voice when she had something important to say, one thing that Jodie didn’t use effectively when communicating was her body posture, she kept fiddling with her zip on her jacket, this gave me the impression that she was nervous she also kept crossing and uncrossing her legs which also gave me the impression that she wasn’t comfortable the way she was sitting. One way that Jodie can improve on her communication skills is to try and participate orally in class to overcome her nervousness and shyness. The next time Jodie’s in some sort of debate or discussion she should try and keep her legs parallel and flat. And try not to cross or swing them about. She should keep her chest straight making sure that she doesn’t show a lack of self-confidence or nervousness.
Memoona’s strengths, weaknesses and improvements on her communication skills
I don’t think that memoona used any communication skills effectively when communicating this is because she didn’t maintain her eye contact with the person she was talking to she was looking down at her script all the time giving the impression that she was shy or nervous, Her body posture wasn’t good as she was slouched back on her chair with her legs crossed, giving me the impression that she was bored or wasn’t interested in what we were discussing about. Memooona’s tone of voice was very loud and aggressive; this I think showed that she was angry about either the topic that we were discussing about or something that somebody said that she didn’t like.
Background Research
What is group interaction?
Group Interaction is when a group of people communicate with each other, and work together as a team, this gives them an opportunity to interact and socialise with each other.
Why is group interaction important within H&SC?
Careers in the health and social care profession are needed to think about values when close to clients, they need to appreciate their position and respect that, otherwise they may cause wrongdoing to their clients and that could bring them severe problems. Group interaction is very important in health care as the carers there can exchange reports to each other.etc.
What is the ideal group size and why?
The best size for a group is about 4/5 people, this is because there are an adequate amount of people in the group to get their opinions across and discuss in detail how to deal with the circumstances, but also any bigger of a group could cause interference and could end up the discussion into a row.
Bruce Tuckman’s theory
Bruce Tuckman (1965) developed a 4-stage model of group development. Tuckman's model explains that as the team develops maturity, ability and relationships are formed and created. Tuckman labelled his stages as following:
1. Forming: The group comes together and gets to initially know one other and form as a group.
2. Storming: There are leadership challenges, including group arguments etc
3. Norming: Eventually agreement is reached on how the group operates (norming)
4. Performing: The group practices its craft and becomes effective in meeting its objectives.
Looking at the behaviour of small groups in a variety of environments, Tuckman recognised the different stages they go through, and suggested they need to experience all four stages before they achieve maximum effectiveness.
Forming - stage 1
During this the group gets together and a strong leader emerges. There will be
High expectations on leader for guidance and direction. There will be little agreement on team aims other than received from the leader. Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear Serious issues and feelings will be avoided, and the people will focus on being busy with routines, such as team organisation, who does what, when to meet, etc. This will be a comfortable stage to be in, but the avoidance of conflict and threat will mean that not much will actually get done.
Storming - stage 2
There maybe leadership challenges during this stage. Team members will fight for position as they attempt to find themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who might receive challenges from team members. The team will need to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming distracted by relationships and emotional issues. Some people's patience will break early, and unimportant confrontations will take place, which will be quickly dealt. These may relate to the work of the group itself, or to roles and responsibilities within the group.
Norming - stage 3
Having had their arguments, they will now understand each other better, and will appreciate each other's skills and experience. Individuals will listen to each other, appreciate and support each other
Roles and responsibilities will become clear and accepted. Big decisions will be made by group agreement. Smaller decisions may be handed over to individuals or small teams within group. Promise and agreement will be strong. The team might engage in fun and social activities.. There will be general respect for the leader and some of the leadership will be more shared by the team.
Performing -stage 4
As the people will become more comfortable within the group there might be more flexibility and less directive leadership. Everyone will know each other well enough to be able to work together, and will trust each other enough to allow independent activity.
The team will be better aware; the team will know clearly why it is doing what it is doing. The team will have a shared vision and will be able to stand on its own feet with no interference or participation from the leader. The team will have a high degree of independence. Disagreements will occur but they will be resolved within the team positively The team will be able to work towards achieving the goal, The team will not need to be instructed or assisted. The group will share a common system of norms and values; their self-esteem will be high making them a successful group.
Advantages of group work are
- Making use of their Knowledge/skills
- Encouraged by others (having company and support)
- Mutual responsibility (having others around you)
- Security (safety with others)
- Self-confidence
- Role models
- Able to work to their own strengths
- Improve weaknesses.
- Enjoyable and fun to work together
The Disadvantages of groups are:
- Groups may be liable to greater tasks
- Deficiently used space, crowded, badly chosen seating
- Disagreements may occur
- Conflicts with aims
- Time wasting discussion
- Power struggles
- Unequal assurance
- Group may refuse to take responsibility for any actions or decisions.
Describe the important features of getting care groups to work efficiently
If individuals are going to stick together in an encouraging group meeting then someone will need to introduce the activity
From time to time group members may need to explain, simplify or make sense of what has been said
During the group meeting people should exchange ideas on the topic being discussed
Just before the end of the meeting group members should agree on what has happened or what the group has decided.
Some behaviour that can continue a group discussion in a care setting are|:
- Laughter (relieves tension)
- Showing interest
- Showing respect/values
- Express feelings with honesty and with sincerity
- Ask people to explain their pint.
Conclusion
Right the way through this group communication assignment I have learnt a lot about my communication skills and I am more alert of other people’s communication skills around me. I have learnt that in order to communicate with a client as a carer you have to be understanding but not demeaning. You also have to be cautious what you say as the slightest thing could make the client have low self-esteem about themselves or feel disheartened. I have learnt that I am not a confident speaker and that I need to practice speaking in my subject classes more. I also realised that I already have a wide range of communication skills that I don’t use on a regular basis to my benefit, my aim is to try and use more of my communication skills in the future. I have learnt a lot about group communication, I now appreciate that you have to work together and co-operate in a grown-up manner to accomplish the aim of the activity. I have learnt that a group is formed to classify a purpose in mission statements. Within a mission statement the objectives have to be realistic and clear and understood by everybody. I now know that groups have to be in suitable sizes and have to contain people with the right skills and training. It is also important that as a team member you realise others are depending on you and you can’t let them down, for example when Stacy had a dentist appointment to go to, she informed us before our group meeting so we knew that she wasn’t going to turn up on the day, this shows respect and trust within the group. I have learnt that the way a room is set out can improve or slow down communication for example we all as a group sat in a semi circle, so that we faced each other and heard each other clearly. In my opinion I think that my group communication skills have improved a great deal since the video activity, for example after the video activity we had to do a presentation in front of the whole class by going out to the front on our own, which I successfully managed to do, unlike before the video activity I couldn’t even speak out in front of two people never mind the class, gradually I am starting to build up my confidence and hopefully I will be really confident that I will be able to talk effectively without being shy to a room full of people. I have learnt to use my listening skills, tone of voice, facial expressions, proximity, questioning, eye contact, body posture, empathy and respect effectively