Formal and Informal Communication in Health and Social Care

In addition to the use of informal language possibly being seen as impolite, using slang/jargon with someone from another country, who may not speak English as their first language, could also create language barriers between the two of you. The person may feel uncomfortable as they do not understand what you are saying and there could be misunderstandings and misinterpretations of what is being said.

Formal communication

Formal communication is used in many health and social care situations, as it is understood by the majority of people and usually doesn't create communication barriers in the ways which other forms of communication, such as informal language, might do. Formal communication shows respect to the people you are communicating with. When someone enters a reception desk, for example in a day care facility, we expect to be greeted politely. If we were greeting with something like "what do you want then" it would cause offense and would be seen as very rude. However, the degree of how formal the language is differs between the situation in which it is being used in, and the care worker must adjust the way they are speaking depending on which situation they are in. If someone speaks too formally they may put the person they are talking to on edge and make them feel uncomfortable, but if someone is being spoken to too informally, then they may feel as if they are not being taken seriously or being respected.