P2 – Discuss theories of communication.

There are 3 theories of communication: * Argyle’s theory; * Tuckman’s theory; * SOLER.
Michael Argyle was one of the best known English Social Psychologists of the 20th century. Argyle was born in 11 August 1925 in Nottingham and deceased in 6 September 2002 (aged 77). He spent most of his career at the University of Oxford and worked on numerous topics. Argyle also published 44 books and 170 scientific posters. In 1972, he argued that interpersonal communication was a skill that could be learned and developed in much the same way as learning to drive a car. Argyle developed a communication theory called ‘communication cycle’ which is also known as Argyle’s theory. [Argyle, M. 23.09.2015; Professor Michael Argyle, 16.09.2015]
The communication cycle is divided into 6 aspects: 1. An idea occurs – you have an idea that you want to share. 2. Message coded – you think about the way you are going to say what you are thinking. You put your thoughts into language or into some other code such as sign language. 3. Message sent – you speak, write, sign or send your message in some other way. 4. Message received – the other person has to sense your message – they hear your words or see you symbols. 5. Message decoded – the other person has to interpret or ‘decode’ what you have said. Sometime it is hard as the other person will make assumptions about your words and body language. 6. Message understood – if all goes well, your ideas will be understood (however, this doesn’t always happen the first time). [Unit 3, 16.09.2015]

Bruce Wayne Tuckman is currently Professor Emeritus of Educational Psychology at the Ohio state. He was born in 1938 in New York (77 years old at the moment). In 1965 he published one of his theories called “Tuckman’s stage of group development” which was initially made up of 4 stages and in 1977 he added the fifth stage named Adjourning. Tuckman’s theory mainly focuses on the way in which a team handles a task from the initial creation on the team through the conclusion of the project. [Bruce Tuckman, 23.09.2015]
The stages of his theory are: 1. Forming – this refers to people meeting for the first time and sharing information. 2. Storming – involves tension, struggle and sometimes arguments about the way the group might work. It is basically a battle of power superiority. 3. Norming – when the group is getting along and consciously or unconsciously agreeing on their group values. 4. Performing – when the group is performing effectively. 5. Adjourning – this refers to when the group is being separated. This stage involves dissolution. It involves the end of roles, completion of tasks and reduces the dependency on other members. However, this stage can be very stressful especially if the dissolution is unexpected. [Team, T.T., 23.09.2015]

Gerard Egan founded Developmental Eclecticism in the 70s. He was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1924 (91 years old). Egan was the Professor of Organization studies and Psychology and Programme Director for the Centre of Organisation Development at Loyola University of Chicago and has written more than 15 books. He developed the SOLER theory which describes techniques for active listening, which can be important when helping other person. Gerard used an acronym so that it would be easier for people to pronounce and therefore remember. [GERARD EGAN, 23.09.2015]

Sit attentively at an angle – by doing this you can look directly at the person which shows that you are listening and paying attention to what the other person is saying.
Open posture – this means not sitting/standing with your arms crossed as this can show a defensive and negative posture towards the other person. If the practitioner has an open posture the patients may feel more comfortable to share their concerns.
Lean forward – by doing this the practitioner is showing interest in what the patient is talking about. This can also lead to communicate with a lower/quitter tone of voice in case that the conversation is taking place in a public environment.
Effective eye contact – this demonstrates the interest and focus on the message that the patient is transmitting. Eye contact also helps with understanding the patient’s emotional state and therefore judging the difficulties the patient may be experiencing.
Remaining relaxed – this shows the patient that the practitioner is not in a rush and has time to listen appropriately. This also helps the patients to develop their answers taking their own time. [Hewitt, J., 23.09.2015]

Bibliography:

Argyle, M. (no date) Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Argyle_ (psychologist) (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
Bruce Tuckman (2015) in Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Tuckman (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
Bruce W. Tuckman - forming, storming norming and performing in groups (2013) Available at: http://infed.org/mobi/bruce-w-tuckman-forming-storming-norming-and-performing-in-groups/ (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
GERARD EGAN (no date) Available at: https://www.google.co.uk/search?es_sm=93&q=GERARD+EGAN&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0CBoQBSgAahUKEwji9dDS2o3IAhWCmR4KHVHZBwA#q=gerard+egan+biography (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
Hewitt, J. (2012) Soler Theory. Available at: http://www.articleoutlook.com/soler-theory/ (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
Professor Michael Argyle (2002) Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1406921/Professor-Michael-Argyle.html (Accessed: 16 September 2015).
Team, T. T. (no date) Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing: Understanding the Stages of Team Formation. Available at: https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm (Accessed: 23 September 2015).
Unit 3 (2013) Available at: http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/getattachment/Subjects/Health-Social-Care/Series-pages/BTEC-Assessment-Guides/Series-Boxes/Sample-chapters/Unit-3-Effective-Communication-in-Health-and-Social-Care.pdf.aspx (Accessed: 16 September 2015).