Communication
Susan Kennedy
HCS/320
April 8, 2013
Kristin Thrun

Communication
Communication. This means different things to different people. To a student, it means learning mew concepts and skills; to an employee, a way of making sure the job gets done properly; to those who love us, a way of maintaining the relationship; and to friends and co- workers, it is a tool to help us get along with each other. Communication is defined as sending and receiving messages from one person or group to another person or group. Effective communication involves shared understanding of the feelings, thoughts, wants, needs, and intentions of the communicators.
The first component of communication is the sender/receiver. When you send a message it is important to know that you are also receiving something back at the same time. When speaking with a person or group of people you are sending more than words that can be heard, you are also talking with your body language and tone of voice. At the same time you are watching the reaction or reactions of the party that is receiving the message from you. Messages can be sent and received verbally or non-verbally. Communicating is a two way street, so to speak.
The message is the main course. It is the ideas, thoughts, wants, needs, feelings, and intentions of the sender. The message can be in letter form, instructions, a paper for school, or verbally like a speech, or instructions spoken to a person or group. This is called the channel or mode of communication. The message can be short and direct like, “Call the doctor at the hospital.”, or non-direct like, “We will keep your application on file.” Technology is also changing how we communicate with one another. Now we can email, voice mail, text, video conference with each other.
Feedback is also an effective communication tool. Having feedback about your message will help to find mistakes and improve your communication skills but the receiver letting you know if your message was clear and presiece or non-legible and uncomprehendable. In short, feedback is the primary means of increasing personal awareness and establishing a shared understanding. You should give and get as much feedback as possible. (Hicks & Nicols, 2012)
The basic elements of effective communication differ from the basic rules of health care communication by very little, I think. Some basic rules are to be clear on the objective of the conversation. Think before you speak. Choose your timing, have plenty of time to have a calm and collective conversation. Stick to the subject and do not get side tracked by other subjects. Be a good listener and do not interrupt the other person when they are speaking. Watch your tone of voice, stay calm and speak easy. Interpersonal communication should be clear, thorough, and comprehensive. The health care industry survives on collaborative communication efforts between doctors, nurses, specialists, and insurance companies and many other individuals. When dealing with any kind of communication you should follow these guidelines to help keep