Effective Communication to Develop Positive Relationships

COMMUNICATING EFFECTIVELY

Communication is a 2 way process (sending and receiving messages) and can be verbal and non verbal.   People communicate effectively when they feel relaxed, experience warmth and genuineness in the relationship and are able to empathise or understand others feelings.

Reasons for communicating are:

  1) Making Relationships
  2) Developing Relationships
  3) Obtaining and sharing information
  4) Expressing thoughts or ideas
  5) Giving and receiving support
  6) Expressing feelings, wishes, needs and preferences

You will need to communicate with service users, their relatives, your own colleagues as well as people from other agencies.

Communicating effectively involves:

  1) Using the right method (see meeting communications needs below)
  2) getting the other persons attention before talking to them
  3) speak simply, clearly and directly to get the message across
  4) adapt the way you talk to children and adults
  5) be patient and don’t interrupt - give the other person enough time to understand and respond to you
  6) use non verbal communication effectively – good eye contact, body language and use facial expressions in an active, positive way
  7) use empathy to try to understand how the other person might be affected
  8) be respectful and show it
  9) listen carefully (actively listen by summarising or paraphrasing) – don’t just wait for your turn to speak
  10) be consistent in your approach
  11) respond quickly and in an appropriate way
  12) respect confidentiality
  13) be constructive when you disagree
  14) check to see that important information has been understood
  15) observe reactions or feedback - how is the person responding to your communication (either verbally or non verbally)

Observing feedback is a way of assessing:

  1) whether the person has understood your communication
  2) what the person’s feelings are about what you said to them
  3) the... [continues]

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