Qualification: Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care
Unit: Advanced communication skills
Learning outcome: Understand communication needs and factors affecting them
Assessment criteria: 1.4 Explain how barriers to communication may be overcome: a. physical, b. social, c. environment, d. emotional
Advertisement
- Physical
- Remove physical barrier
- Arrange to communicate face-to-face
- Ensure technology is robust to facilitate communication without lag or loss of signal
- Use assistive techology to support individuals with physical disabilities (e.g. vision or hearing impairments etc.)
- Ensure staff are knowledgable and trained in the communication methods used by service users
- Social
- Language barriers – use of interpretation services
- Cultural barriers – ensure staff understand each service users cultural differences
- Discrimination – ensure staff are trained in equality and diversity, it is ingrained into organisational culture and challenged if it occurs
- Social isolation – arrange face-to-face meetings, provide reassurance and encouragement
- Environment
- Noise – identify the source of the noise and take steps to remove or minimise it (e.g. turning off electrical equipment, closing windows etc.)
- Lighting – ensure that all areas where communication occurs has adequate lighting
- Temperature – increase or decrease the thermostat to maintain a comfortable temperature
- Comfort – ensure seating is comfortable and the environment is clean, tidy and free from distractions
- Emotional
- Emotions may include depression, anger, anxiety, mania etc.
- Remain calm and communicate slowly in short sentences if an individual is in a state of high emotion
- Offer to accompany the individual to a private area area to discuss how they are feeling
- Provide reassurance, compassion and empathy and be non-judgmental
- Listen to what the individual has to say and take it seriously to help them to return to base level
- Offer to have a discussion with the individual at a later time when they have calmed down
Advertisement