1.1 Barriers to communication
Good communication is vital in social care. It enables us to build relationships with the people we care for and their families, develop relationships with people we work with and other professionals, provide clear information and carry out appropriate reporting and recording.
From the time we get up to the time we go to sleep, we are communicating. We can have hundreds of moments in a day when we are communicating in many different ways, and with many people. But not everyone is that fortunate.
Some people have real difficulties with communicating what they want from us, and this can sometimes lead to behaviour that we find hard to deal with due to their frustration at not being able to make themselves understood and get their needs met.
When we communicate, it’s not just about the actual words we use (verbal communication). We also need to think about the way we say those words – our tone of voice, the speed of our words, how loudly or softly we are speaking (vocal communication) and what our bodies – especially our faces and hands – are saying. This body language is called visual communication and it includes the way we stand or move our bodies, the way we use our hands, the expression on our faces and the eye contact we make.
Activity 3
This activity has two parts.
Part A
Think about a time when you did not understand what someone was saying to you. Perhaps you were trying to communicate with someone who speaks a different language from you or you were in a loud, noisy environment and could not hear what someone was saying. Besides the words they were using, how else did you try to make sense of what they were saying?
Comment
Besides verbal cues – what people say – we also use visual and vocal cues to communicate. This can include body language and the one of someone’s voice. Such cues may seem to contrast with the words someone is saying – like they may shake their head side to side when saying ‘no’ – and can vary cross-culturally. When communicating with people you care for, think about how your message may be understood when they may struggle to hear or understand the words you say.
Part B
Now watch the first 2 minutes 21 seconds of the video below in which cognitive neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott discusses the nature of human speech and communication. How might you change your voice when speaking to someone you are caring for?
Comment
As Sophie Scott highlights, so many subtle and unexpected messages are ‘encoded’ in voice and speech. Voices can tell us a lot about a person, but they are not stable. You might speak more softly, more slowly or firmly, depending on the context and person, or try to change your accent. Notice also how others may change their voice when talking to you or doing different tasks.
Visual, verbal and vocal communication
You are now going to think about visual, verbal and vocal communication, and which of these types of communication we use most often.
Activity 4
a.
(a) Visual 43% Vocal 21% Verbal 36%
b.
(b) Visual 71% Vocal 2% Verbal 27%
c.
(c) Visual 55% Vocal 38% Verbal 7%
The correct answer is c.
Comment
(c) Visual 55% Vocal 38% Verbal 7%