Essay
MERIT - Communication
- Institution
- OCR
This section includes all MERIT sections of 'Communication in health and social care'. contains a self evaluation of the principles of communication.
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We will follow the guidelines of the SOLER principle to make this interview aseffective as it can be and these will help us.
S: sitting squarely – for this interview I was not sat down as I was presenting to a
class. Although I was stood up, I tried to still apply the principle. As we were talking
to a group of people who were spread out across the room, it made it difficult to face
squarely to everyone. Even though during an interaction I would usually sit down, for
this interaction me being stood up did not show authority over the rest of the group. It
also did not hinder the amount of respect shown. This meant that the interaction
could still be supported.
O: open posture – sitting with an open posture would create a welcoming entrance,
however for this interaction again I was not sat so I could not sit with an open
posture, this meant I had to stand with an open posture instead. Having an open
posture creates a relaxed atmosphere making everyone involved in the discussion
feel more at ease and comfortable.
L: leaning forward – for this interaction specifically, I was unable to lean forward to
show I was interested, I instead turned my body to whoever was talking to show that
I was listening to them. Normally, leaning forward when sat down would show
interest and engagement to the conversation but on this occasion, it was not
possible.
E: eye contact – throughout this discussion eye contact is key. This means keeping
eye contact with the speaker but not so much that it turns into a stare as this could
be intimidating creating an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere. For this specific
interaction, the main eye contact was at the end when questions were asked as
there were three people presenting. Eye contact supports communication as it
shows interest in the conversation.
R: relaxed body language – showing that I’m relaxed creates a positive friendly
environment. This is because it shows I’m not worried about the presentation, and
this can support communication because I won’t be giving off a nervous energy.
Being relaxed can mean that I am able to add more information to my presentation
that I didn’t necessarily have on the PowerPoint.
M1: Assess the usefulness of theories of communication within health and social
care environments.
In the previous tasks, I focussed on Tuckman’s theory and the SOLER principles
theory. After researching them in more detail, I found them to be very useful when it
came to narrowing down the process of communication within health and social care
environments, in the following I will assess the usefulness of these theories.
Tuckman’s theory:
, Tuckman’s theory is said to be very useful when examining the communication
process. This is because it enables group formations to be analysed resulting in
finding out information, as they know what to look for. Researchers who use this
theory have found it beneficial to their topic of interest.
This theory is very useful in health and social care environments, in an early years
setting for example. This theory can be used when new children join and at the start
of the new academic year as it allows nursery workers to plan group activities to help
children form relationships overtime with their peers to avoid the feeling of being on
their own with no other children to interact with. For example, activities could include
working in small groups of children, this allows the practitioners to see which children
have the most confidence and which children prefer to sit back and watch. This also
allows for any clashing between children to be noticed, when this is noticed the
practitioners can then make an agreement on how they are going to work in groups
moving forward while avoiding conflict between the children who don’t get on. This
allows the practitioners to be aware of needing to carry out group activities as a new
child won’t fit in straight away and could require a bit of encouragement. However,
some care workers may argue that this theory is not useful in health and social
settings as it does not apply to everyone. For example, some people avoid conflict
so do their best to get on with everyone avoiding the conflict stages when meeting
new people. This could mean they do not go through all the stages of Tuckman’s
theory if they get along with people who they meet. For example, in a hospital if the
patient was laid back then they would trust what the doctor is saying instead of
causing conflict because they haven’t formed a relationship with the doctor yet. It
could also be because if the patient is only there for a little while then there is not
enough time for all the Tuckman’s theory stages to be completed. This applies in
most health care settings.
In conclusion, Tuckman’s theory is useful for some occasions but it is not always
useful to everybody, as it doesn’t apply to everyone.
SOLER Principles:
The SOLER principles are considered useful in most health and social care settings;
this is because it sets a basic structure of good communication skills. They provide
people with knowledge which helps them to get the most out of communication
process as they know how to act in terms of body language. Poor body language
can inhibit professional communication, once people are familiarised with the
SOLER principles they know exactly how to act when in a professional setting. For
example, if a family were having a meeting with a nursery about the possibility of
sending their child there, they could be put off if the practitioners are slouched over
in their chairs, looking down on them and avoiding eye contact, this is because this
type of body language is not professional and can give the family the impression of
the nursery not being welcoming. This is important because the family could decide
that it isn’t a good place for their child to learn. Once the practitioners realise their
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