Effective Communication

Describe the factors to consider when promoting effective communication?

There are a number of factors to consider when promoting effective communication these vary for different age groups, genders, cultures, etc. It is important to communicate effectively to help avoid confusion and misunderstanding. It is easy for young people to be upset or feel lost after conversations with adults due to the use of different or complicated vocabulary. It is important to recognise and prevent poor communication as a care worker. It is also important to acknowledge young people’s rights, such as the right to be respected, to be treated equally and to not be discriminated. This can be difficult at times as young people often cross these boundaries but as a professional it is vital to be non-judgemental and controlled at all times.
A factor to consider is the setting. These vary within our care home and at times we may be talking to young people as a group such as a house meeting where we may be covering issues between the members or passing information that may affect their home or friendships. It is important in this setting to ensure the group understands and are acknowledging comments that are made. To do this it may be necessary to have somebody lead the conversation acknowledging each participant with regular eye contact or maybe by asking questions prompting responses. The ‘lead’ could also control the conversation taking place making sure that the subject being discussed is being stuck too whilst also ensuring members are being respected. At times we have informal conversations with house members during their average day. These conversations are generally quite relaxed and casual allowing the young people to express themselves naturally and comfortably in their home. There may also be formal conversations these are usually more serious and official. These can be as a group or one-to-one. When speaking one-to-one it is important to consider if the conversation is...