TA3: Effective communication in health and social care settings

What you need to know

• How verbal communication skills can be used with service users • The benefits of using verbal communication skills.

Verbal communication involves communicating clearly through speech in a way that can be understood and that does not offend the service user. A practitioner will need to adapt their verbal communication to different circumstances. Adapting verbal communication A service practitioner must be able to adapt their verbal communication to communicate effectively. If you are working in different health and social care settings, with service users of all ages, you need to use your verbal skills in different ways. Clarity Communicating with clarity involves giving information in a clear way that the service user can easily understand. This may involve using vocabulary which can be understood, as well as speaking very clearly (not mumbling or speaking too quickly). Clarity can also refer to listening and understanding what the other person is saying. Example: A GP may check with a service user they have understood what they have explained.

Remember it!

• Working with a wide range of service users who have different needs means adapting verbal skills to enable effective communication. • Clarity is about giving information clearly so that it can be understood. • Empathy shows the service user you understand how they feel.

Empathy Showing empathy in verbal communication involves using language that shows respect and is sensitive to the service user. This shows the service user that you understand how they feel. Example: A dentist may use language that is reassuring to show empathy with a service user who is afraid of treatment. Revise it!DRAFT Create a table listing all the verbal skills. For each skill: • add an explanation of the skill • give an example of how it would be used by a service provider in a health and social setting. You may wish to focus on one job role, such as a paramedic, or use examples from lots of job roles.

What you need to know

• How verbal communication skills can be used with service users • The benefits of using verbal communication skills.

Health and social care roles require a high level of verbal skills to help deliver effective care.

Patience

Patience involves: • communicating fully as well as having the ability to listen • giving the service user time to respond, by allowing pauses in the conversation • allowing the service user to finish what they need to say, without interrupting. Sometimes care practitioners may need to be patient and repeat information several times, or find different ways to communicate so that the service user or other professionals can understand. Example: A counsellor will need to use patience by listening to a service user talking about how they are feeling, and giving them time to think about what they want to say. Using appropriate vocabulary Vocabulary needs to be appropriate for: • the person the care practitioner is communicating with. Using jargon will confuse service users and lead to misunderstanding, but when communicating with other professionals the use of jargon will be appropriate. • the age and ability of the service user. Example: A social worker may use less complex vocabulary with an adult service user who has a learning disability. Tone Tone relates to the way we speak or sound, so it is important a care practitioner is aware of their tone. Example: When a care worker comes into a service user’s home, and introduces themselves with a positive tone, it can make the service user feel relaxed.

Using a positive tone of voice can make the service user feel relaxed, comfortable and welcomed. • Patience can be shown through how we communicate and listen. • Appropriate vocabulary should avoid the use of jargon. • Tone is about the way we speak or sound.

A person’s tone can be positive, meaning the communication is friendly and warm. On the other hand, it can also be negative, where communication can be aggressive or patronising. DRAFT

Practise it!

Why should jargon be avoided when communicating with service users? State two reasons. (2 marks)

Remember it!