Unit 1: Developing Effective Communication in Health and Social Care
Task 1:
There are various types of interpersonal interactions that can affect the quality and effectiveness of the communication. There are non-verbal and verbal communications. The examples of verbal communication are:
Tone and Pace: The way you speak to a patient is very beneficial for the communication and connection between you and your service user. You must be well aware of the tone and pace of your voice that you choose to use because if you talk very loud and fast you will come across as quite rude and aggressive and you might give the service user the impression that you are in a rush and are not really interested in being with them. Whereas if the tone of your voice is quite soft and calm and the pace is quite slow it gives the service user a good impression as your voice gives them a sense of comfort and confidence that they shouldn’t be afraid to say what they feel. It also makes them feel more secure and it makes them know that you are interested and that you understand. If the tone of your voice is friendly and you talk at their pace the service user will feel more comfortable.
Language: The language you speak to a certain service user can be really crucial because the service user might not speak the same first language as you. You will need to read the service user’s files in order to find out if their mother tongue is the same as yours and if it isn’t you would need to find a way to discuss the aspects of the appointment with them in a way that they would be able to understand you. If they come into the appointment and speak in their own mother tongue and you haven’t accessed their files to know what language they speak, they will feel as if you are not really interested because you didn’t bother to find out the thing that you needed to make sure that they understand. Therefore, you must find out about the service user before the appointment in order to know what needs to be prepared beforehand to ensure that they feel comfortable and will understand. If the service user had a different mother tongue you might take it upon yourself to prepare various images about the contents of the appointment in order for them to understand you. This shows them that you are interested and gives them comfort that they need. It also shows that you care enough about their health to do all that you can to help them understand the conditions if there is any. In order for the care user to understand clearly you will need to talk a little bit slower and go at their pace use hand gestures to support what you are saying.
Dialect, Slang and Jargon: Dialect is the pronunciation of words which are very precise to a very geographical community. But when it is spoken between the employee and the service user, the service might feel intimidated and silly as well as confused because they might not understand what is being said. So you might need to change the pace and slow it down and clearly pronounce your words in order for the service user to be able to understand. If the care user is the one that has the strong use of dialect, you would need to keep clarifying and questioning what they say to make sure that you understand them clearly.
Slang is the use of informal words and phrases that are used within social communities and groups but not found very often in standard dictionaries. Slang would not be the right type of language to use in a professional work environment because the service user might understand the words that are said as most slang words often have more than one meaning. E.g. the word sick in a health environment means ill whereas in a social group it means ‘amazing’ and ‘cool’ so it could cause the service user to be very confused and won’t want to go back to see the doctor if they don’t understand. Formal language and terms are easier to understand and therefore should be the ones that are used.
Jargon is certain words that are used within a professional environment that others who are not part of that environment might find difficult to understand. Jargon should be the type of language that is used between two colleagues or those on the same level or professionalism. But this type of language is not effective when communicating with a service user because they will feel a sense of intimidation and confusion as they don’t understand what you are saying. Therefore, formal language should again be used to help the care user understand what is being said.