Unit 1
P3- Explain factors that may influence communication and interpersonal interactions in
health and social care environments
Environments effecting communication
There are many factors and barriers that affect our communication this can affect many
things that happen in the health and social care sector like misinterpretation without
communication being clear and effective many issues can happen in the workplace affecting
staff and service user. Here is a list of barriers that affect the way we communicate and how
to prevent issues with communication from happening.
Depending on the background you’re in like a noisy hospital or quite residential home the
noise around you can effect what your communication is like and can effect what is begin
said. And if you are in a noisy background it could be very difficult to communicate verbally
and non-verbally. Other environmental issues like lighting, time of day, noise or if you can
visually see the person as some people struggle to communicate with people they cannot
see face to face. The effects of bad environment making the conversation difficult could
result in many scenarios like you could be addressing a serious issue wrong with the service
user. And if the lighting is too bright you might not be able to see how they look visually so
you can’t show them empathy and comfort them. Making them feel sad and even isolated.
So to stop the environment changing the way you communicate if the lighting is bad go into
another room. Or if it is a noisy background shutting a door or taking a resident in a quite
environment to have a proper conversation with them.
Setting
The place or setting where the conversation takes place can be an effective barrier stopping
the way we communicate effectively. Like examples of bad settings the place could have
unsafe chairs or the room could be very small making the service user claustrophobic. These
bad settings can cause the conversation to be quick and ineffective because of the
surroundings worrying the service user. And this will make a need for another conversation
to take place somewhere else possibly worrying the service user wondering if they are really
ill needing to reschedule. So it is important that the building/room is safe big enough to
have a face to face conversation to ensure whatever message being sent across is received.
Taking into consideration the amount of people you are communicating with and how
serious the conversation is something to think about when picking the setting to
communicate. An example of a bad setting would be a group of people talking about a
serious issue in the canteen where everyone could hear. Instead going into a private room
with the door shut.
, Noise
Noise is a physical barrier that can play a role in effecting communication. Noise could be in
the background or too many people talking at once during a conversation. No conversation
would be affective with one shouting so that can affect it. Effective communication is
impossible in a busy A & E setting because there is too much noise or in a noisy ward. So
before having the conversation choose a sensible quite place that only you and the service
user can be heard. So no background noise distracts the conversation from happening. An
example of noise effecting communication could be trying to communicate with a patient
what they want for tea whist the patient is talking to a family member. Instead waiting for
them to stop talking as the conversation may be too loud for the patient to hear you.
Lighting
If a physical environment has poor lighting that is too light or lighting that is far too dark this
could lack in the privacy of the communication. Effecting people’s ability to communicate
effectively with each other. And if the lighting is bad it we might not be able to see the
person so we cannot communicate non-verbally either. Ways to overcome this could be if
the room is too dark adding a light or opening a blind so you can see each other so the
service user knows who they are talking to allowing them to trust you. As without lights you
may not be trusted. An example of bad lighting communicating with a deaf person in a dark
room would be ineffective because body language or gestures cannot help communication.
Instead going in a fully lit room and being able to see each other face to face to use non-
verbal communication.
Space
The space between you and the service user in an oral conversation plays an important role
as an environmental factor. It can be a barrier or even an aid in creating good
communication. For example being in a tiny room could be just as bad as being in a massive
room as in a small room individuals might feel closed in. Or in a big room the service user
could struggle to hear due to the room being so large. So finding a good spot like a quite
area like a consultation room where you and the individual can have a good conversation
without distance being an issue. Also talking into consideration people from different
cultures don’t like being face to face or some might like big spread out spaces instead.
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