Unit 1 Developing Effective Communication In Health And Social Care Assessment Title: The role of communication and interpersonal interaction in Health and Social care. BTEC Subsidiary Diploma in Health and Social care Effective Communication Effective communication helps better to understand a person or situation, enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect. As simple as communication seems, much of what we try to communicate and others try to communicate to us, gets misunderstood which can cause conflict and frustration in personal and professional relationships. By learning effective communication skills, you can connect better with your spouse, kids, friends, and co-workers. In this assignment I will write about the different types of interpersonal interaction: one to one and group interaction, which is also used in profession environments. I will compare one to one communication with Argyle’s theory, and I will also compare group communication with Tuckman’s theory. What is effective communication? We have to send, receive, and process huge numbers of messages every day. But effective communication is about more than just exchanging information. Effective communication requires you to also understand the emotion behind the information. It can improve relationships at home, work, and in social situations by deepening your connections to others and improving teamwork, decision-making, caring, and problem solving. It enables you to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. What is one to one to one communication? One-to-one means one person communicating with another person with no other eople joining in. If you walk into a one-to-one job interview, the interviewer may say ‘Good afternoon, my name is … Please sit down’ this make you feel less nervous so you feel more confident. But if you walked in and someone immediately said, ‘Sit down. Why do you want this job’, you would sit down and start to answer questions instantly, so would be very nervous and likely to mess up. It is the same in any conversation; it is important to create the right feeling by being friendly and showing interest in and respect for the other person. The conversation needs a start, e. g. Hello, How are you today? ’ middle, when you both talk about what you need to, and an ending, e. g. ‘Bye, See you later. ’ One to one conversation allows extra time for people to discuss any feedback they may have and also enables them to ask necessary questions. What is Group Communication? Group communication is communication which is carried out with at least 3 members in the group or more. This group can either be a professional group, social group or and educational group. The members of the group will have a common interest or goal, which is the reason they are bought together. Group communication is harder because it only works properly if everyone is involved. In most groups there are people who speak a lot and others who speak a little or do not speak at all. Maybe this is because they feel uncomfortable speaking in front of a group of people or they are just not interested in the topic of conversation. Groups work best if there is a team leader who encourages everyone to have a say in turn, rather than everyone trying to speak at once. The use of space is important when having a group conversation, preferably sitting in a circle. This allows everyone to see each other and understand the message effectively. Advantages of one to one communication: Having a one to one conversation will help you gain quick feedback, for example if you emailed someone they may no check there email for days and you would not get the quick reply that you needed. You will also be able to read the other persons facial expression and body language, this will help you understand how the person is feeling and if you can trust what they are saying to you. For example if you someone texts you a ‘? when they are angry just to be sarcastic you may not realise and you may think that the person is actually happy. Also sometimes people feel shy and nervous amongst a group of people, and they may not be able to get there point across, because they are worried about what the other people may think about them, so if they have a conversation with one person they may feel more comfortable and they can get there point heard easily. Advantages of group communication: In a group conversation, you will be able to get a vast number of ideas. You will also be able to hear a number of people points of views that may or may not fit in with yours; you will always learn new things. This will expand your knowledge in the particular topic which is being discussed. You will be less narrow minded and more open to other people ways of seeing things. When having a one on one conversation, the other person may share the same ideas with you, so you will not learn much new things but in a group conversation there is always someone who either disagrees with you or knows something that you don’t. Disadvantages of one to one communication: You will not be able to think your answer through when you are having a one on one conversation because the person who you are having the conversation with will be expecting you to give them a reply as soon as they finish talking. So you won’t be able to deeply think about the situation and give a good answer. Sometimes in a one to one conversation you may run out of things to say so it will make the atmosphere very awkward and agitating. Sometimes if the right atmosphere isn’t created in the conversation the whole conversation will just be a waste of time. Related essay: “Advice About Communication” Disadvantages of group communication: In group conversations it is harder to start the conversation and keep it going, this is why there always needs to be some sort of a group leader. Sometimes the shy people in the group are threatened, tend to stay quiet and they don’t get a chance to get there point across. This is because of the much louder members of the group, who dominate the conversation. This is why the leader needs to make sure they all have a chance to talk. This is one of the main disadvantages in a group conversation. Also coming to a conclusion will take much longer then it would in a one to one conversation. Argyles theory: Michael Argyle was a social psychologist who researched and developed theories about human communication and interpersonal interaction. He focused on verbal and non-verbal communication. He carried out experiments to test and develop his theories and ideas Argyle’s ‘communication cycle’ theory explains how communication occurs between people in one-to-one conversations. Argyle claimed that one tot one communication is essentially a two-way process that involves people sending, receiving and responding to each other’s verbal messages. One to one conversation allows extra time for people to discuss any feedback they may have and also enables them to ask necessary questions. The use of space is important when having a group conversation, preferably sitting in a circle. This allows everyone to see each other and understand the message effectively. . The stages in his communication cycle are: 1. An idea occurs - You have an idea that you want to communicate. This is decided on choosing the right words. You may want to ask yourself what will the other person want from the message and what impact the message may have. 2. Message coded - You think about how you’re going to say it. You put your thought into a language or in any other form of communication. 3. Message sent - You speak to whoever you need to. When the message is being sent they may be distractions. It is best to avoid interruptions and background noise. 4. Message received - The person who you spoke to has to sense your message. When receiving the message the other person should check for main points to test their understanding. This could be main points, facts and phrases. 5. Message decoded - The person has to interpret what you said. He will make assumptions about what you said and how you said it (body language and facial expressions) 6. Message understood- If the cycle went well then your message will be understood. If the cycle starts off well then the last stage will make it easier for people to understand your message. The cycle shows how people’s minds work while in a one to one conversation. Argyle shows us what goes on the persons mind and how the person carries out the action. This is an example of argyles cycle: 1. An idea occurs - New car 2. Message coded - I want to buy a new car 3. Message sent - ‘I really want to buy a new car’ 4. Message received - The other person nods his head 5. Message decoded - *not sure if this person really needs a new car or if he just wants one* 6. Message understood - ‘Do you need a new car or do you just want a new car?’ In this example the message was not fully understood, but this is common because it is hard to understand the message the first time because of the person’s body language and facial expressions. Tuckman’s theory: Bruce Tuckman’s theory suggests that groups must go through these stages to be effective there are four stages: 1. Forming - involves group members who have met for the first time to share some information then coming together and asking basic questions about the purpose and aims of the group. In this first stage of group development, members tend to feel quite nervous. A leader usually emerges in this early stage. 2. Storming- this is when there is some conflict, tension and struggle within the group. Members of the group may argue over the purpose of the group. In this stage, power and control are the main issues. Eventually, the purpose of the group and the roles within it become clear. At this stage tolerance, patience and co-operation is needed or else the team will fail. 3. Norming- the group’s identity develops. Group agrees on values. The group arrives at one goal and agrees a shared plan to achieve it. The group members tend to work together to resolve conflicts, consciously or unconsciously. 4. Performing- when the group have established common expectations and values. They then finally get down to working effectively. Members tend to focus more on the overall goal rather than on relationships between themselves. Relationships have, by this stage, become more comfortable and are based on trust and mutual support. In conclusion, effective communication is very important as it enables people to exchange ideas and information. In addition it facilitates people to build relationships and develop their self-esteem. Communication allows checking a person understanding with regards to active listening. References: http://capital2. capital. edu/faculty/sbruning/ci/COMM252/sld004. htm http://www. buzzle. com/articles/small-group-communication-effective-team-communication. html http://www. collinseducation. com/resources/hscbtecnationalch01. pdf