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Diversity and difference in communication

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Diversity and difference in communication
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Course description

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Interpersonal communication in health and social care services is by its nature diverse. As a consequence, achieving good or effective communication whether between service providers and service users, or among those working in a service means taking account of diversity, rather than assuming that every interaction will be the same. This free course, Diversity and difference in communication, explores the ways in which difference and diversity impact on the nature of communication in health and social care services.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of competing perspectives on issues of communication, difference and diversity
  • demonstrate an understanding of the ways in which issues of ethnicity, gender and disability impact on interpersonal communication in care services
  • apply ideas about communication and difference to everyday interactions in health and social care contexts
  • analyse the ways in which ideas about difference can both reflect and reproduce inequalities between groups in the context of care services
  • identify strategies for working with difference and diversity in the context of challenging discrimination in health and social care contexts.

First Published: 10/08/2012

Updated: 29/05/2019

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