Hi, if you can identify all the times you communicate with colleagues, senior staff members, parents, children and the professionals outside of your setting/placement .. see why you spoke with them.
It may also help if you separate the knowledge aspects posted and collect information that helps you to understand your current knowledge, formulate what to write and see what areas can be researched further.
- name the different reason people communicate..
eg: to have a question or query answered or to request help, guidance, assistance, direction, to share concern, to share new information / provide updates to ongoing situations, arrange or organise a meeting or maybe to begin or maintain an informal friendship / professional relationship where passing greetings are exchanged...
- explain how communication affects relationships in your setting ..
Does communicating in your setting help get things done, support teamwork, support parents, children and colleagues, ensure the sharing of professional knowledge and understanding or divide people, create barriers and bad feeling.
- explain how people from different backgrounds may use and or interpret communication methods in different ways
Ethnicity, culture, language, educational history, disability, impairement, social - family, friends, aqcuaintance network and structure, economic - jobs income finance
EG: email communcation may be more valuable to one than another if internet access was an issue.
- identify barriers to effective communication ..
Impairement - auditory hearing, visual sight, disability - learning and speech impediment, allowance of time, assumption, own laguage and understanding of other languages, inaccessibility of resouces and finance to secure means of communicating effectively.
Methods of communication involve:
Communication methods include:
• non-verbal communication
- eye contact
- touch
- physical gestures
- body language
- behaviour
• verbal communication
− vocabulary
− linguistic tone
− pitch
Barriers will vary depending on the method beiong used. The link between communicating and understanding the communication is an important factor.
Access is a barrier - money, equipment, transport,
Disability and impairement
Face to face - use of eye contact varies in different cultures
An awareness of facial expression, gesturing, body language and understanding what this can 'say to the person and people around you.
Signing
Translation and interpretor services
Translated literature - leaflets that support the setting
Telephone
email
letter
reports and other formal methods of professional communication / documentation
pictorial resources
Awareness of communication delivery:
-- Providing a slower pace of dialogue
-- Knowledge of own language and the use of local dialect, knowledge of how to overcome any accent based communciation barrier.
-- Use of jargon, complex words, terminology
-- Simplifying language.
Best practice for communcation involves:
Asking if or when something isn't understood - requesting clarification
Listening skill
Eye contact
Avoiding assumptions and premature conclusions
Use of
open ended question when looking for participation and feedback
View differing opinion as an opportunity to reinforce the reasoning behind your practice and communication or as a way to broaden and challenge your exisiting thoughts rather than as a threat.
I hope this helps a little xx