BASICS OF COMMUNICATION

INTRODUCTION

Communication is an important and integral part of life, without which no one might survive.
Verbal and non-verbal communication start from birth and does not end until death (Vertino,
2014). According to Brinkert (2010), communication is needed not only for transmission of
information and knowledge to one another, but more significantly to inter-relate as human beings
everywhere in the world.

Communication surfaces universally in the context of relationships, families, organizations,

nature and nations.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION
The often-repeated words “customer satisfaction” are as important in the field of health as they
are in any other successful venture.

It is important for health care personnel to understand the doubts, fears and the anxieties of the
patients who come to them for treatment.

This empathy is possible only if there is proper communication. Both the physical examination
and surgery can become routine for health care professionals and thus can make many of us blind
to the doubts and concerns that are so obvious in the patients’ faces.

One tends to be preoccupied with the examination of the patients and neglects their concerns.

Answering questions and wearing a reassuring smile can go a long way in improving patient
satisfaction.

An experienced and devoted nurse or health care professional not only performs the given job
but is sensitive to and aware of the patients’ other needs.

She/he takes time to assuage the patients’ fear and help them become more comfortable in the
given situation.

Good communication, which involves more listening than talking, cannot be over- emphasised.
An ability to communicate well orally, through friendly gestures and with a compassionate
outlook that makes one sensitive to pain and fear are some of the admirable qualities in a nurse.
COMMUNICATION PROCESS
ELEMENTS IN COOMUNICATION PROCESS:
1.SENDER/ENCODER

The sender also known as the encoder decides on the message to be sent, the best/most effective
way that it can be sent. All of this is done bearing the receiver in mind. In a word, it is his/her job
to conceptualize.

The sender may want to ask him/herself questions like: What words will I use? Do I need signs
or pictures?

2. MEDIUM/MESSAGE

The medium is the immediate form which a message takes. It is an essential element of
communication. It may contain verbal, nonverbal or symbolic language. Message content must
be precise, clear, comprehensive, correct, complete, relevant, interesting and useful to both
sender and the receiver. For example, a message may be communicated in the form of a letter, in
the form of an email or face to face in the form of a speech.

3. CHANNEL

The channel is a medium through which a message is sent or received between two or more
people. Several channels may be used to send or receive the message i. e seeing , hearing,
touching, smelling, and tasting. For example, when teaching the patient about the use of of
incentive spirometry, the patient will understand more easily if the nurse uses conversation with
demonstration of techniques .

4. RECEIVER

The receiver or the decoder is responsible for extracting/decoding meaning from the message.
The receiver is also responsible for providing feedback to the sender. In a word, it is his/her job
to INTERPRET.
5. FEEDBACK

This is important as it determines whether or not the decoder grasped the intended meaning and
whether communication was successful.

It is the return message sent by the receiver to the sender. It is the most essential element of the
communication process as it shows that the receiver has understood the primary message sent by
the sender and the communication process .

TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

1. Based on the means of delivering the message

• Verbal communication :It occurs through the medium of spoken or written words.
Verbal communication occurs directly and face-to-face using spoken or using a telephonic
device. It may also occur through written-words using a paper and_ pencil. Today, written
words may be communicated using electronic means such as a computer and e-mail facility.

 Nonverbal Communication: This communication occurs without words; where the five
senses and a whole range of body movements, posture, gesture, facial expressions and
silence are used for sending and receiving the message
 Symbolic communication: It involves verbal as well as nonverbal symbols to convey a
message .(such as music)
 Meta communication: The communication within the message is uncovered and
understood in meta communication. For example, when someone says. 'I am ok,' meta
communication helps in understanding if he or she is actually alright or not.

II. Based on the purpose of communication

 Formal communication: Formal communication follows lines of authority such as

organizational meetings.
 Informal communication: Informal communication does not follow lines of authority
such as gossip.
 Therapeutic communication: It is a formal process where the patient and health care
provider get an opportunity to learn about each other to modify the patient's behavior.

Ill. Based on the levels of communication

 Intrapersonal communication: The communication that takes place within an individual

(or self-talk); crucial to understand oneself.
 Interpersonal communication: Where two or more people share ideas or messages with
each other
 Transpersonal communication: The communication that takes place within a person's
spiritual domain; for example, communicating with one's inner self-conscious
 Small-group communication: Communication in a small-group, consisting of 3-4 people
interacting face-to-face or using electronic means.
 Public communication: Interaction of one or more people with a large audience, such as
health education by a nurse (or nurses) to a group of people.
 Organizational communication: It takes place when individuals and groups within an
organization communicate to achieve established organizational goals.

IV Based on the patterns of communication

 One-way communication: It is a unidirectional process where the message flows from the
sender to the recipient without feedback, such as in public speeches.
 Two-way communication: It is a bidirectional process where the message flows from the
sender to the recipient with due feedback from the recipient to the sender
 One-to-one communication : Communication between one sender and one recipient at the
same time; for example, a nurse providing discharge information to a patient
 One-to-many communication: One person communicating with many people at the same
time, such as a nurse providing health education to a group of people in a community
 Many-to-one communication: Many people communicating with one person at the same
time, for example, a group of experts taking an interview.
ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION
Assertiveness is a useful communication tool. assertiveness training.
Its application is contextual and it's not appropriate to be assertive in all situations.
Sudden use of assertiveness may be perceived as an act of aggression by others.
There's also no guarantee of success, even when you use assertive communication styles
appropriately.
It recognises our rights whilst still respecting the rights of others.
It allows us to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions without judging or blaming other
people.
And it allows us to constructively confront and find a mutually satisfying solution where conflict
exists.

Definition :
Assertiveness is the tool for expressing ourselves confidently and a way of saying
yes and no in an appropriate way. Assertiveness is a style of behavior to interact
with people while standing up for our own rights.

TECHNIQUES FOR BEING ASSERTIVE.

1. Identify your personal needs and want.

2. Identify how you feel about a particular situation.
3. Be direct: deliver the message to the person to whom it is intended.
4. Own your message.
5. Avoid others assumptions or feeling or thinking about others or what about
their motives, or about how they may react.
6. Avoid statements that begins with “why” “you”. This may put the other
person on defensive that protects from attack.
7. Ask for feedback: “am I clear”. It helps to clarify an misconception you may
have expressed any opinion.
8. Stop apologizing all the time: Many of us say “I am sorry” , on a regular
basis without even thinking about it.
 9. Learn to take a compliment: When complimented on a job, many of us could
have responded : oh I dint do any thing or don’t mention it. It was the team
that did all the work.
A more appropriate response would be to say “thank you”. I had a great time
to work with you all on this.
10.Act confident even if you don’t feel confident : Force yourself to make a
good eye contact with the people and use a steady audible voice when
spaking.
11.Feel free to say no, I don’t know, I don’t understand etc.
12.Evaluate your expectation. Are they reasonable? Be willing to compromise?

Characteristics of assertiveness in communication

There are six main characteristics of assertiveness in communication. These are:
 Eye contact: demonstrates interest, shows sincerity
 Body posture: congruent body language will improve the significance of the message
 Gestures: appropriate gestures help to add emphasis
 Voice: a level, well-modulated tone is more convincing and acceptable, and is not
intimidating
 Timing: use self judgement to maximise receptivity and impact.
 Content: how, where and when one chooses to comment is probably more important than
WHAT one says.

The advantages of assertiveness in communication.

There are many advantages of assertiveness in communication, most notably these:
 Assertiveness helps us feel good about ourselves and others
 Assertiveness leads to the development of mutual respect with others
 Assertiveness increases our self-esteem
 Assertiveness helps us achieve our goals
 Assertiveness minimises hurting and alienating other people
 Assertiveness reduces anxiety
 Assertiveness protects us from being taken advantage of by others
 Assertiveness enables us to make decisions and free choices in life
 Assertiveness enables us to express, both verbally and non-verbally, a wide range of
feelings and thoughts, both positive and negative.
BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION

Communication is not an easy process and can be hindered by several factors

including personal, physiological, social, cultural, semantic, and
oraganizational, and communication process- related barriers.

1. Physiological barriers problems

- Poor retention due to memory

- Lack of attention
- Discomfort due to illness
- Poor sensory perception Hearing problems •
- Poor listening skills,
- Information overload

How to overcome it:

- Sender and recipient must keep in mind each other's retention and
memory abilities.
- Sender and recipient must have each other's complete attention.
- Before initiating communication, the sender and the recipient must
ensure each other's comfort.
- Intactness of sensory perception between the sender and the recipient
must be considered.
- Limitations of hearing ability must be kept in mind.
- In addition to hearing, the sender and the recipier must ensure active
listening between each other.
- Information overload must be avoided Gender differences must be kept
in mind.

2. Environmental barriers

- Loud background noise

- Poor lighting
- Uncomfortable setting Unhygienic surroundings and bad odour.
- Very hot or cold room
- Distance
How to overcome it:

- Background noise must be kept at lowest possible level.

- Good lighting must be ensured to facilitate nonverbal communication.
- Comfortable seating arrangement must be provided for effective
communication.
- Hygienic and odour-free environment must be ensured.
- Optimal environmental temperature must be maintained.

2. Pychological barriers

- Misperception and misunderstanding.

- Distrust and unhappy emotions Emotional disturbance such as anger,
jealousy and suspicion Prejudiced, resentment and antagonism.
- Psychotic or neurotic illness__ Worry and emotional disturbance 'Fear,
anxiety and confused thinking.

How to overcome it:

- Communication must be carried out in a happy and trustworthy manner

- The sender and the recipient must refrain from negative emotions such
as anger, jealousy and suspicion.
- Sender and recipient must avoid feelings of prejudice, resentment and
antagonism.
- The sender and the recipient must be free from fear, anxiety and
confused thinking.

4. Social barriers

- Diffidence in social norms, values and behaviour '

- Social taboos
- Different social strata
How to overcome it:

- Diffidence in social norms, values and behaviour must be given due

consideration.
- Social beliefs of the sender and recipient must be kept in mind while
communicating.

5. Cultural barriers

- Ethnic, religious and cultural differences.

- Cultural traditions, values and behavior.

How to overcome it:

- Cultural difference must be given due consideration.

- Cultural traditions, values and behaviour must be kept in mind.