Section 3 Communication

1.1

People communicate with you because they have something they want you to know or something they want you to tell them. I communicate to share information and ideas.
I must remember that everyone is different. We all think differently and communicate in different ways.

1.2 a and b Good communication enables individuals’ needs to be met and for care and support workers to develop working relationships with the individuals they support. Good communication skills enable me to build positive working relationships. It is essential that the individuals I support trust me as I am working very closely with them on a daily basis and to enable me to do my job correctly i must gain the individuals trust and build positive working relationship.I have a duty to find different ways of overcoming communication barriers. I do this by learning about types of communication barriers and how these can be improved or overcome. If i have poor communication when speaking with a colleague then necessery information may not be passed on and this could be detrimental to the individuals i support.

1.3

By observing an individual’s reaction, I can work out how they are feeling. This tells me if everything is ok with the service you are providing and with the individual in general or if there might be a problem.As I get to know the individuals I support, I will know what their normal behaviour and reactions are. This means when their behaviour or reactions change o aar ddifferent from normal, I can identify the change.
Body language is an important way for people to communicate when they cannot express themselves clearly using words. People may display different types challenging behaviours like using swear words, keeping silent, moving back and forth or moving away from me. Once i know what an individual’s normal behaviour is, I can identify whether a change in behaviour might be an indication that there is a problem.
I must make sure that I am safe and that any change in behaviour does not put myself or the individual themselves or anyone else at the risk of harm.

2.1
When i meet anyone for the first time, i ensure i use good eye contact and smile.
I should know the person’s name already and i should ask the person what they would like me to call them. I will be able to consider the individual’s reaction while I am doing this and see how they respond to my question. This will start to give me an idea of how i will need to communicate
It is absolutely essential that I find the best way to communicate so that I can understand the wishes and preferences of the individual as well as identifying if there is a problem that i can try and support them to solve.

2.2
When communicating we will use all of our senses. We can do this by verbal or non verbal communication.
Visual – seeing, I can also use hearing and listening skills to hear what person i ssaying
Verbal communication
 Vocabulary, words and different languages
 Tone of voice
 Pitch (for example, high or low)
Non-verbal communication
 Eye contact
 Signs, symbols or pictures
 Writing
 Using objects
 Touch
 Physical gestures and hand gestures.
 Body language and emotions
 Lip reading

3.1

Different barriers to communication could be:

Sensory impairment
 Culture (for example, speaking different languages or poor English)
 Religion (for example, men not permitted to support females with personal care)
 Health issues (for example, mental ill health like Dementia)
 Background noise (for example, radio, television, other people, machines)
 Emotions (for example, difficulty in being able to listen to others)
 Stress (for example, failing to recognise what is happening)
 Strong accents (for example, from a different part of UK that you find difficult to understand)

3.2 To reduce barriers I must:

Maintain Eye Contact
 Open and receptive body language
 My position
 Reduce distractions
