Unit 1: Developing Effective Communication

P1: Explain the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in a health and social care context.
P2: Discuss the theories of communication
M1: Assess the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care with a reference to the theories of communication (Argyle and Tuckman’s theories)
M2: Review strategies used in health and social care environments to overcome barriers to effective communication and interpersonal interactions.
Effective communication is where you make the communication or the way you are communicating subjective to suit that service user’s needs. Interpersonal interaction is a way of communicating with a person so that the recipient can understand. For example, a service user with a hearing impediment means that an employee cannot just talk to them they may need to get and interpreter that knows sign language or find another way like written communication. However, there are different stages of hearing impediments so some people may be partially hearing impaired so with the help of a hearing aid it means they can still be spoken to using verbal communication.
In health and social care, employees must be aware of each different person’s needs because they need to communicate with that person so that that person can understand what you need to do to be able to communicate with the individual that you are working with. Also, Tuckman’s theory comes into play when talking about effective communication and interpersonal interaction.
When you start a placement, a person starts with the first stage of tuckmans theory which is forming. Forming is where a person or a group of people meet for the first time and begin to introduce themselves. For example, a new carer comes into the workplace and they need to be able greet the service user and introduce themselves so that the service user is aware of who the person is. This brings us onto the second stage of Tuckman’s theory which is storming. Storming is where you are able to have positive arguments or it’s a way of helping you to get to know the person a bit better and it helps a carer to see what works or doesn’t work. For example, a carer comes and talks to a service user about reviewing their care plan and then they both have a positive argument about it then they can find out what works or what doesn’t work.
After this stage three of Tuckman’s theory comes into play which is norming. Norming is where the two people are just starting to became on the same level and moving in the same direction. For example, a carer knows roughly what the service users require. If everything here goes well then they will move on to the fourth stage of Tuckman’s theory performing. Performing is where they are on the same page and they both know what is happening. For example, a carer just comes into the room and sorts everything out without having to be told so they know what to do and the routine.
Argyle’s theory of communication can also be put into a placement situation because when a person wants to talk to another person they need to first have an idea. Once the person has an idea and is ready to send it, they must code the message to eliminate the possibility of other people knowing what the message is saying. Next, the sender must send the message to the recipient in a form of communication that is interpersonal and subjective to that one person’s needs that must be met. Sometimes, this can be a communication barrier if the right type of communication is not used to send the message (For example, if a visual impaired service user was to be sent the message using sign language as the chosen form of communication then the person who was the recipient would not be able to understand the message that is being sent). After this stage the message is received by the recipient and it means that the sender has overcome the barriers in which may have been in the way. Then the recipient must decode the formally coded message so they are able to reflect what is said and understand the message that the recipient has recently received.