Formal and informal communication
Every one needs to use informal communication when you know people well such as friends and family. Family and friends can use terms which they only understand. Local groups have their own ways of speaking e.g. ‘Hi ya mate, how’s it going’ but in different cities they my say ’Hello, how are you’. Formal communication is needed in health and social care work e.g. hospital reception. The receptionist every time they say ’Good morning, how can I help you’ formal communication also shows respect to others. In our own lives we use informal and formal communication in group and one to ones, for example, in an one to one the formal communication can be at interviews and when we speak with doctor’s, informal communication can be when we talk with friends or in personal relationships. In a group we have informal communication in sports and classroom groups, but formal communication can be at meetings or group counseling.
Ways of communication.
Text - written communication for example, newspapers, books or text messages and so on. That its help people to communicate any where and any time.
Touch - written communication does not have to be visual. People which can not see use a Braille system. Braille is a system of raised marks that can be felt with fingers.
Arts &crafts - paintings, photographs, architecture and any other household objects can helps to communicate with people for example kids like draw or paint because they can show people what they feel or what experiences they have.
Music - is sometimes called language of emotion because music can provide an effective communication system for expressing emotion.
Visual - in visual communication you can write text messages or e-mail or write something on the paper. You can communicate and show everybody e.g. what you feel.
Drama - in drama you use body language, facial expression and tone that can show what you feel and perhaps what we are thinking.
Communication using technology
Communication Aid - Cameleon CV
Relevant Disability: Speech,
Description:
The Cameleon CV is like the Cameleon 3 AAC device which is a PC type system but is smaller, lighter and has internal batteries, allowing it to be used as a portable device for ambulant AAC users. This is just one of the technological devices we can use with people with speech problems.
Speech
People of different localities, ethnic groups and cultures have their own special words and speech patterns. These groups may be referred to as different speech communities. Jargon is called technical terminology which is used by care workers. That can create the barriers because people do not use this same jargon.
Jargon
All the people in world use jargon e.g., care workers use medical jargon such as ‘BP’ is blood pressure. Remember the new staff or people which live in a different country or city and they are not yet familiar with such terms, how they my feel. People from different geographical areas use different words and pronounce words differently, they are often using a different dialect.
Dialect
People use different dialect, its different words and their pronunciation which are specific to a geographical community. For example, people from West England use different dialect from people which live in North England. People sometimes have difficulty understanding different dialect.
Slang
Most people use slang e.g. social groups. In a dictionary we can find non - standard words which are understood by other members of a speech community.
Language
If some people are from different countries and they speak a different language, they must learn a second language and for the first time they may not understand what some people say.
Non-verbal communication
Non-verbal communication we use everyday it is the body language we use, it is communication that doesn’t use speech. Non - verbal communication means, we communicate with people but not using words. For example,
Facial expressions, such as frowns and smiles, tell other people how we feel. We have eye contact and body posture, body movements and gestures.
Posture
Posture is the way we stand or sit, it is the first major influence on the initial impression you make. Although we may not be aware of it, our posture indicates our confidence, our openness and your attitude. Posture can be signs of shyness and pain. A stiff posture can mean discomfort and frustration. When we talk one-to-one and we can see that person listening to us or not and if they are interest or not. When we seating down and the person is not interest, they will not sit on the chair but they lie on the chair, the people look bored and sometimes people hold their hands.
Facial expressions
A form of in whichs is communication is the face. Facial expressions can tell a lot about a person and what they might be thinking or how they feel. Six basic universal facial expressions were identified as being fear, anger, surprise, disgust, happiness, and sadness. For example, if the person is sad they may look down and the mouth can be closed. The shoulders of this person can be relaxed but the face and neck show tension. The facial expression we use every day when we talk with somebody and we can see what they feel. We also need to understand our own non - verbal behaviors.
Touch
Touching is the next way of communication when we do not use words. When we touch somebody we can send a message of sexual interest, care, affection and power over them. Body language can help you to understand touch better. Sometimes if you touch somebody, for example, holding someone’s hand to give them comfort, they may interpret this touch as an attempt to dominate. Before you touch somebody it is better to ask first or give some gesture.
Silence
People that sit together or friends feel comfortable in silence. Silent pauses can mean ‘let me think’ or ‘I need time to think’. Silence is non - verbal communication which shows respect. When we speak to a group of people the voice of tone is very important because when we have loud voices people can think we are angry but the slow voice with varying tone may send a message of being friendly.
Proximity
Space for some people can be very important because it can show how friendly the conversation is. Different cultures have different behaviors with respect and the space between people who are talking. British people have norms as to how close you should be when you talk to others. Rituals of shaking hand indicate that you have been introduced and you may come close. Space is very important in health and social care because some service users have a sense of personal space. A care worker who assumes it is fine to enter a service user’s personal space without asking or explaining may seen as being dominating or aggressive.
Reflective listening
Active listening is a way of listening and responding to another person which improves mutual understanding. Often when people talk to each other, they don’t listen attentively. They are often distracted, half listening, half thinking about something else. When people are engaged in a conflict, they are often busy formulating a response to what is being said. They assume that they have heard what their opponent is saying many times before, so rather than paying attention, they focus on how they can respond to win the argument.
Variation between cultures
Carers use range of conversational techniques when working with others. This includes variations in culture. When we grow up we learn about culture which means the history, customs and ways. Non - verbal signs vary from culture to culture. British people look people in the eye when they talking. If somebody looks down or somewhere else that can mean they may be dishonest perhaps. In some African countries if someone looks down this shows respect to others. It is not possible to learn all cultural variations, and people learn only that one which is used by their friends or family.
Being assertive – not effective to communication
Aggression and fear is two basic emotions that we experience. When we feel stressed we can be submissive or aggressive. Assertion is an advanced skill that involves controlling the basic emotions involved in running away or fighting. If during some argument we get aggressive with a person that can be negative to communication. They might insist that they are right and other people are wrong. They will want to win while the other loses. The submissive person is opposite to the aggressive person.
Staying clam and in control of your emotions, shows respect to others and using reflective listening that can help to build good communication with people. Assertion is skill of being able to help them to understand your viewpoint. Assertion skills create a situation where negotiations is possible.
Environment
Is very hard to explain to some groups when there is a lot of background noise or no use facial expression if you don’t see everybody properly. If we have seating position that are awkward, people not can see each other. That can have a bad effect on communication because people feel uncomfortable if they try communicating with person who is too close or at distance. Is the room too cold or hot that can too have bad effect on communication because people can feel tired or stressed. The environment also plays an important role in the effectiveness of aids for communication. If we have noisy room that can have a bad effect for someone using a hearing aid. If we have good lighting that can help people who are using hearing aid because they can understanding speech with lip reading.
If we work in a group it is good if we have a general participation pattern because everybody can communicate with everyone else. That doesn’t have any bad effect in communication.
This pattern shows people being left out or isolated from the group.
Interpreters and translation
An interpreter is a person which communicates meaning from one language to another. They interpret spoken and signed languages such as English and British Sign Language. A translation is person which translates one language to another for example, English to German. Translating and interpreting is not just changing one language to another. Some languages do not have simple equivalence between words and signs. Interpreters and translation must grasp the meaning of the message and find a way of expressing this meaning in a different language system.
