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COMMUNICATION
Communication is the process of sharing information, ideas, thoughts, and emotions between individuals or groups through methods like speaking, writing, body language, or digital media.
FORMS/TYPES OF COMMUNICATION
Messages are conveyed verbally and nonverbally, con-cretely and symbolically. As people communicate, they express themselves through words, movements, voice in-flection, facial expressions, and use of space. These elements can work in harmony to enhance a message or conflict with one another to contradict and confuse it.
Verbal Communication
Verbal communication uses spoken or written words. Verbal language is a code that conveys specific meaning as words are combined. The most important aspects of verbal communication are discussed below. A. Vocabulary :. Communication is unsuccessful if senders and receivers cannot translate each other's words and phrases. When a nurse cares for a client who speaks another language, an interpreter may be necessary. Even those who speak the same language use subcultural variations of certain words: dinner may mean a noon meal to one person and the last meal of the day to another. Medical jargon (technical terminology used by health care providers) may sound like a foreign language to clients unfamiliar with the health care setting and should be used only with other health team members. Children have a more limited vocabulary than adults. They may use special words to describe bodily functions or a favorite blanket or toy. Teenagers often use words in unique ways that are unfamiliar to adults. B. Denotative and Connotative Meaning :. A single word can have several meanings. Individuals who use a common language share the denotative meaning: baseball has the same meaning for everyone who speaks English, but code denotes cardiac arrest primarily to health care providers. The connotative meaning is the shade or interpretation of a word's meaning influenced by the thoughts, feelings, or ideas people have about the word. Families who are told a loved one is in serious condition may believe that death is near, but to nurses serious may simply describe the nature of the illness. Nurses should carefully select words that cannot be easily misinterpreted, especially when explaining a client's medical condition or therapy. Even a much-used phrase such as "I'm going to take your vital signs" can be unfamiliar to an adult or frightening to a child. C. Pacing : Conversation is more successful at an appropriate-ate speed or pace. Nurses should speak slowly enough to enunciate clearly. Talking rapidly, using awkward pauses, or speaking slowly and deliberately can convey an unin-
tended d message. Long pauses and rapid shifts to another subject may give the impression that the nurse is hiding the truth. Pacing is improved by thinking before speaking and by developing awareness of the cadence of one's speech. D. Intonation : Tone of voice dramatically affects a message's meaning. Depending on intonation, even a simple question or statement can express enthusiasm, anger, concern, or indifference. The nurse must be aware of voice tone to avoid sending unintended messages. For ex-ample, clients may interpret a nurse's patronizing tone of voice as condescending, and further communication may be inhibited. A client's voice tone often provides information about his or her emotional state or energy level. E. Clarity and Brevity :. Effective communication is simple, brief, and direct. Fewer words result in less confusion. Clarity is achieved by speaking slowly, enunciating clearly, and using examples to make explanations easier to understand. Repeating important parts of a message also clarifies communication. Phrases such as "you know" or "OK?" at the end of every sentence detract from clarity. Brevity is achieved by using short sentences and words that express an idea simply and directly. "Where is your pain?" is much better than "I would like you to de-scribe for me the location of your discomfort." F. Timing and Relevance : Timing is critical in communication. Even though a message is clear, poor timing can pre-vent it from being effective. For example, the nurse should not begin routine teaching when a client is in severe pain or emotional distress. Often the best time for interaction is when a client expresses an interest in communicating. If messages are relevant or important to the situation at hand, they are more effective. When a client is facing emergency surgery, discussing the risks of smoking is less relevant than explaining perioperative procedures.
Non-verbal Communication
Non-verbal communication : it includes all of the five senses and everything that does not involve the spoken or written word. It has been estimated that approximately 7 percent of meaning is transmitted by words, 38 percent is transmitted by vocal cues, and 55 percent is transmitted by body cues. It is common that nonverbal communication is unconsciously motivated and may more accurately indicate a person's intended meaning than the spoken words. When there is incongruity between verbal and nonverbal communication, the receiver usually "hears" the nonverbal message as the true message. All kinds of nonverbal communication are important, but interpreting them can be problematic. There are many kind of non verbal communication
KINDS OF NON-VERBAL COMMUNICATIO N
- Personal Appearanc e: Personal appearance includes physical characteristics, facial expression, manner of dress and grooming, and
The referent motivates one person to communicate with another. In a health care setting, sights, sounds, odors, time schedules, messages, objects, emotions, sensations, perceptions, ideas, and other cues initiate communication. The nurse who knows what stimulus initiated communication can develop and organize messages more efficiently and better perceive meaning in another's message. A client request for help prompted by difficulty breathing brings a different nursing response than a request prompted by boredom.
SENDER AND RECEIVER
The sender is the person who encodes and delivers the message, and the receiver is the person who receives and decodes the message. The sender puts ideas or feelings into a form that can be transmitted and is responsible for the accuracy of its content and emotional tone. The sender's message acts as a referent for the receiver, who is responsible for attending to, translating, and responding to the sender's message. Sender and receiver roles are fluid and change back and forth as two persons interact; sending and receiving may even occur simultaneously. The more the sender and receiver have in common and the closer the relationship, the more likely they will accurately perceive one another's meaning and respond accordingly.
MESSAGES
The message is the content of the communication. It may contain verbal, nonverbal, and symbolic language. Messages are interpreted by those who receive them through personal perceptions that may or may not distort the meaning intended by the sender. Two nurses can provide the same information yet convey very different messages according to their personal communication styles. One nurse can send the same message to two persons and be understood differently by each. Nurses can send effective messages by expressing themselves clearly, directly, and in a manner familiar to the receiver. Watching the listener for nonverbal cues that suggest confusion or misunderstanding helps the nurse know whether the message needs to be clarified. Communication can be difficult when participants have different levels of education and experience. "Your incision is well approximated without purulent drainage" means the same as "Your wound edges are together, and there are no signs of infection," but a client more easily understands the latter. The nurse must be sure clients can read before sending messages in writing.
CHANNELS
Channels are means of conveying and receiving messages through visual, auditory, and tactile senses. Facial expressions send visual messages, spoken words travel through auditory channels, and touch uses tactile channels. The more channels the sender uses to convey a mes-s8age, the more clearly it is usually understood. For example, when teaching about insulin self-injection, the nurse talks about and demonstrates the technique, gives the client printed information, and encourages hands-on practice with the vial and syringe. Nurses use verbal, nonverbal, and
mediated (technological) communication channels. They send and receive information in person, by informal or formal writing, over the telephone or pager, by audiotape and videotape, through fax and electronic mail, and through computer interactive and information sites.
FEEDBACK
Feedback is the message returned by the receiver. It indicates whether the meaning of the sender's message was understood. Senders need to seek verbal and nonverbal feedback to ensure that good communication has occurred. To be effective, the sender and receiver must be sensitive and open to each other's messages, clarify the relationship, both persons assume equal responsibility for messages, and modify behavior accordingly. In a social-re-seeking openness and clarification, but the nurse assumes primary responsibility in the nurse-client.
INTERPERSONAL VARIABLES
Interpersonal variables are factors within both the, are factors within both the sender and receiver that influence communication. Perception is one such variable that provides a uniquely sender and receiver that influence communication personal view of reality formed by one's expectations and experiences. Each person senses, interprets, and understands events differently. A nurse might say, "You have been very quiet since your family left. Is there something on your mind?" One client might perceive the nurse's question as caring and concerned; another might perceive the nurse as invading privacy and be less willing to talk. Other interpersonal variables include educational and developmental levels, sociocultural backgrounds, values and beliefs, emotions, gender, physical health status, and roles and relationships. Variables associated with illness, such as pain, anxiety, and medication effects, can also affect nurse-client communication.
ENVIRONMENT
The environment is the setting for sender-receiver interaction. For effective communication, the environment should meet participant needs for physical and emotional comfort and safety. Noise, temperature extremes, distractions, and lack of privacy or space may create confusion, tension, and discomfort. Environmental distractions are common in health care settings and can interfere with messages sent between people, so nurses must try to control the environment as much as possible to create favorable conditions for effective communication.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Communication skills are the abilities you use when giving and receiving different kinds of information. Communication skills involve listening, speaking, observing and empathizing. It is also helpful to understand the differences in how to communicate through face-to-face interactions, phone conversations and digital communications like email and social media. Examples of Communication Skills
to communicating effectively. Speaking too loudly may be disrespectful or awkward in certain settings.
- Empathy Empathy means that you can understand and share the emotions of others. This communication skill is important as a nurse. Nurses are empathetic not sympathetic. In both cases, you will need to understand other people’s emotions and select an appropriate response. For example, if a patient is expressing anger or frustration, empathy can help you acknowledge and diffuse their emotion. At the same time, being able to understand when someone is feeling positive and enthusiastic can help you get support for your ideas.
- Respect A key aspect of respect is knowing when to initiate communication and respond. In a team or group setting, allowing others to speak without interruption is seen as a necessary communication skill. Respectfully communicating also means using your time with someone else wisely—staying on topic, asking clear questions and responding fully to any questions you’ve been asked.
- Understanding nonverbal cues A great deal of communication happens through nonverbal cues such as body language, facial expressions and eye contact. When you’re listening to someone, you should be paying attention to what they’re saying as well as their nonverbal language. By the same measure, you should be conscious of your body language when you’re communicating to ensure you’re sending appropriate cues to others.
