Content of communication
During communication there needs to be a constant assessment of what the user requires to know, how it is being communicated and the language that is being used. For instance if a client needed to be informed that they had cancer it would need to be explained to them in a way that would cause minimum distress but would allow them to fully understand what was being explained.
Emotional needs and mental stability
During communication a person’s emotional needs would need to be met otherwise in situations like clinical depression the individual may be so upset that they are not aware of their surrounding and may not be able to communicate.
There have also been multiple strategies that have been devised in order to combat the barriers that can hinder effective communication and interpersonal interactions. Here is a list of some of the different types of strategies that can be used to overcome these barriers;
Reflective Listening
An effective strategy in overcoming barriers in communication is reflective listening. This strategy can help to show the individual that you are interested in what they have to say. This is also a good method in improving the individuals’ confidence and self-esteem. Also this strategy allows for the continuation of the communication cycle.
The main disadvantage of reflective listening is that any individuals that have low self-esteem or confidence may not wish to communicate in this manner and if the individual was continuously prompted for a response they could feel that their personal space is being invaded which could cause a new barrier.
Continuous professional development
The training involved in continuous professional development is a simple way for professionals to learn new or develop ways of overcoming barriers within communication. Training also allows them to practice new skills before using them on client which would lead to a more predictable and effective response when using these skills new with clients.
In some situations this can have a negative effect on the individuals care due to the fact their designated worker would be on leave so they would be required to seek help from another source or worker. This can lead to communication issues due to trust and the unfamiliarity with the case.
Individual Preference
Looking at the preferences of the ways the client prefers to communicate is a good strategy in helping over come communication barriers, this helps in seeing what the client needs, and how this can be provided, this is also a good way of organise and interpreter or someone to sign between client and professional if this is how the client prefers to communicated.
A negative side to this is that a professional may not have time to find someone to interpret or sign between client and individual, or there3 may not be enough time to see what the client prefer before the first time they meet or it may be in a doctor this may not have enough time or the interpreter isn’t working that day, there also the professional may not know sign language.
Looking at the setting and environment
Where professionals look at the setting or where people are going to communication, for example a counselling setting, this can be a huge impact on the way people communicate, for example in counselling people to ensure that setting is quite so people can hear each other and get messages across, so this mimesis the chances of things effecting the communication part where messages are sent or when messages are understood.
A downside to looking at the setting is that sometimes there isn’t always a chance for people to assess the environment and whether it would the right setting for each individual as the room can be used for a long time and needed by different professionals, as a lot of professional settings are extremely busy and a lot of people such as doctors, counsellors, paramedics won’t have the time and also in a nursery, it would be extremely hard to get quite places for people to talk and sometimes children won’t know how to ask or say things and that can be problem.
Also time limits can be a negative part of looking at barriers, however this can’t be helped as the clinic used may be busy and there isn’t a chance to check the room and also it’s not also possible to adapt the building if wheelchair access is needed.
Technological aids to communication
A weakness in this strategy is that it can malfunction, a hearing aid may not always be reliable this can affect the communication in the message not always being received properly. On the other hand aids like voice typing that some people can used effectively as they may not be able to talk normally and this can provide them with the ability to talk, also people with mental illness sometimes are able use text message if they are in danger or might have episodes where there a risk to themselves, this can be useful in emergencies, however the down side to this is that sometimes it will take people a while to text back or there should be a problem in sending the message.
Awareness of non-verbal communication
Making professionals aware of their non-verbal communication is a good way of overcoming barriers and the professional can ensure the proximity between them and client is a good distance but not too far away, and being aware of this is a good a lot of the way be communicate comes from body language and facial expression and professionals who are aware of this can improve their practice and the emotional needs of clients. A negative side to this is that not all professionals have time to learn about this and also a lot of the time our emotions, facial expressions and body language is sub-conscious and not controlled.
Conclusion
In conclusion reviewing the different ways of overcoming communication barriers, there can be good and bad points to all the different ways and by using different method of each individual situation, the barriers can be overcome effectively and efficiently.
