This page is designed to answer the following questions:
- 6.1a Describe the different ways that people communicate (Care Certificate, Standard 6: Communication)
- 1.1 Identify different reasons why people communicate (Level 2 Diploma in Care, Communication in care settings)
- 1.1 Identify different reasons people communicate (Level 3 Diploma in Adult Care, Promote communication in care settings)
- 1.2 Analyse why individuals communicate (Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care, Advanced Communication Skills)
NOTE: This page has been quality assured for 2023 as per our Quality Assurance policy.
Effective communication underpins high-quality care because it means that you will be able to establish and maintain positive working relationships with the individuals that you care for, their families, your colleagues and other professionals. Communication is an essential requirement for effective partnership-working.
On this page
Why people communicate
There are many different reasons why people communicate. These include:
- Pleasure
- To socialise
- To make and maintain relationships
- To ask questions
- To request information
- To offer choices
- To advise/guide
- To give support/reassurance
- To express a need, desire or preference
- To express a feeling
- To share ideas
- To share experiences
- To discuss and debate
- To show compassion/empathy
- To give instructions
- To encourage/motivate/persuade
These can be broadly split into four main categories:
Social
Social interaction depends very much on communication. Without it, it is very difficult to make and maintain relationships with partners, friends, family and even colleagues.
It is useful to remember that social communication is not just chatting with people you know. Hugging, pats on the back and kissing (if appropriate) are all forms of communication, as are writing letters, emails etc.
For many people, communicating socially is generally a very pleasurable experience, which helps relieve stress and anxiety.
Expression
Communication can be used to express or vocalise things such as ideas, feelings, needs, desires, preferences or wishes.
Again, this does not have to be verbal. For example, a piece of music can communicate the writer’s (or player’s) sadness or happiness. Or the British Sign Language (BSL) sign for ‘tea’ can express the signer’s desire for a drink.
Information Sharing
Information is shared between people using communication. This may be sharing ideas, advice or experiences, asking questions or requesting specific information. It also includes giving someone instructions for performing a task.
If I were to ask you the time and you were to tell me it is noon, that is an example of using communication to share information. Another example would be a team meeting where you brainstorm ideas to come up with a solution to a problem.
Support
Reassuring and supporting others is another way to utilise communication. As well as offering understanding and an arm around the shoulder, you can also demonstrate compassion and empathy.
How people communicate
We’ve already touched upon some of the ways that people may communicate. Examples of how people communicate (both verbal and non-verbal) include:
- Speaking/listening
- Reading/writing
- BSL
- Makaton
- Facial expressions
- Body language (e.g. posture etc.)
- Braille
- Audio
- Text-to-voice apps/devices
- Voice-to-text apps/devices
- Blinking
This list is by no means exhaustive – communication is an integral part of our lives, and there are many reasons and methods to exchange messages with others.
For those wishing to explore communication more deeply, the Level 4 Unit on Advanced Communication is recommended.