Dan – Page 15 – DSDWEB: FREE STUDY GUIDES FOR CARE QUALIFICATIONS

1.2 Explain How Effective Communication Affects All Aspects of Own Work

January 3, 2019 by Dan

The words 'effective communication' between two silhouettes communicating via a tin can and string

Communication is very important in a health and social care setting and effective communication can have a positive affect on all aspects of your own work.

By communicating effectively with colleagues, managers and other professionals, you will be ensuring that the messages, instructions, questions and ideas that you are sending are received and understood correctly by the other party. Similarly, you will also ensure that you correctly understand what is being communicated to you by others.

Perhaps more than in any other industry, health and social care requires teams and professional partners to work as a single cohesive unit to provide the clients with a uniform care structure. Effective communication assures that everyone is on the same page and minimises mistakes.

In addition, health and social care requires a lot of record-keeping which must be accurate and legible (by law) so good reading and writing skills are a must. If things go wrong, sometimes the only way to back up your actions is by the documentation that you have written.

Effective communication is also critical the clients that you support.

If you are unable to understand one another then you will not be able to provide them with adequate support as you will be unable to understand their needs, preferences or wishes. There may also be other reasons why someone needs to communicate with you.

Some clients may not be verbal and so you will need to learn to communicate them using other means such as facial expressions, makaton or gestures. You may even need to become familiar with their language if they do not speak english.

One of the great things about being a care worker is that it opens up opportunities to improve all aspects of your communication and become a better speaker, listener, reader and writer. And these skills can be transferred to your personal life as well.

1.1 Identify Different Reasons People Communicate

January 30, 2019December 19, 2018 by Dan

Two individuals forming an idea by communicating - an example of why people communicate

The Short Answer

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

The Long Answer

Communication is everyone’s panacea for everything ~ Tom Peters

Whether you agree with the quote above or not, it is undeniable that communication has a wide variety of functions and as part of your Level 2 Diploma, your tutor will expect you to be able to list and explain at least a handful of them. Most courses will ask you to write down just three or four reasons that individuals communicate, but do bear in mind that sometimes you may be asked for more.

The good news is I’ve compiled a handy list for you 🙂

Social

Social interaction very much depends upon 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 to people that you know. Hugs, pats on the back and kissing (if appropriate) are all forms of communication. As are writing letters, emails etc.

And on top of this, 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 feelings, needs, desires, preferences or wishes.

Again, this does not have to verbal. For example, a piece of music can communicate the writer’s (or player’s) sadness or happiness. Or the makaton sign for ‘tea; can express the signer’s desire for a cuppa!

Information sharing

Information is shared between people using communication. This may be sharing ideas, advice or experiences or to ask questions or request specific information. Or giving someone instructions for performing a task.

If I were to ask you the time and you were to tell me it is midnight, 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.

You should now be able to identify different reasons people communicate for your level 2 diploma.

Example Answer: Identify Four Different Reasons Why People Communicate

People communicate for many different reasons. Socially, people communicate for pleasure, to ask questions or to offer choices. Communication can also be used to express a need or a feeling to others as well as share ideas and debate issues. In addition, communication can be used to show compassion and empathy towards others.

Demonstrate How and When to Access Support About Resolving Conflicts

January 15, 2019December 9, 2018 by Dan

An individual helping with conflict resolution by standing between two angry individuals

As a health and care worker, you may often be required to help with conflict resolution, so it is important that you are able to identify skills and approaches need for resolving conflicts and be able to find and utilise additional help and support if required.

When getting involved in a conflict, it is important to understand that all parties may initially be in a high emotional state, which makes them less likely to approach the issues in a logical fashion. You should give everyone a chance to explain how they are feeling from their perspective. This means listening intently to what they have to say, giving them respect and showing empathy and understanding. Everyone should be treated fairly and equitably as if an individual feels as though they are being ‘ganged up on’ they will be far less open to compromise later.

When everybody has had the opportunity to say their piece (and hopefully cooled down a little) it is time to negotiate and find out what (if any) compromises people are willing to make. It may be necessary to make it clear to all that there may be no hope of resolution if everybody is not willing to compromise a little and then nobody will get what they want.

Having drafted a potential resolution, it is essential to ensure that there is clarity and transparency and that everybody is happy. Active listening is important to make sure that everybody understands what will happen moving forward so that there are no misunderstandings that could lead to more issues in the future. Documenting the resolution and getting each party to sign it is recommended.

If nobody is willing to compromise or no resolution can be found, then you may need to obtain additional support.

Contacting a senior member of staff or your line manager for guidance will probably be your first port of call. Third-party professionals can also be useful, such as trained mediators. If all or some of the facts about the issue are unknown, it may be necessary to contact other professionals for advice. This could be a social worker or community nurse, for example.

If there is a degree of aggression in the conflict, it may be necessary to contact the police for assistance.