Communication

This section of your portfolio covers communication and in particular barriers to effective communication and ways you can overcome these.

Evidence 1: For this piece of evidence, you will need to complete a table listing the different ways we communicate and the relative advantage and disadvantages of each type.

For each of the 3 communication types below, complete the rest of the table:

1. Verbal Communication

When used in your workplace:

e.g. staff meetings, taking a phone call form a service user

List 2 more times you would use verbal communication:

1.

2.

1. Verbal Communication

Advantages

e.g. . Can be re-explained if the message is misunderstood.

List 2 more advantages of using verbal communication

1.

2.

1. Verbal Communication

Disadvantages:

e.g. message could be easily forgotten

List 2 more disadvantages of using verbal communication:

1.

2.

2. Written Communication

When used in your workplace:

List 2 times you would use written communication:

1.

2.

2. Written Communication

Advantages

List 2 advantages of using written communication

1.

2.

2. Written Communication

Disadvantages:

List 2 disadvantages of using written communication:

1.

2.

3. Non-verbal Communication

When used in your workplace:

List 2 times you would use non-verbal communication:

1.

2.

3. Non-verbal Communication

Advantages

List 2 advantages of using non-verbal communication

1.

2.

3. Non-verbal Communication

Disadvantages:

List 2 disadvantages of using non-verbal communication:

1.

2.

Nonverbal communication refers to gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, eye contact (or lack thereof), body language, posture, and other ways people can communicate without using language.

Evidence 2: For this piece of evidence, you will need to discuss a time when you experienced some form of poor communication (either from another person or by you to someone else).

Write a paragraph for each section below:

My experience of poor communication in the workplace

Give a brief introduction to the situation (explain the place and setting and also what happened):

Why did it arise (what do you think was the cause of the above problem e.g. lack of understanding, misinterpretation, poor method of communication, use of jargon etc. and how did it arise in the above situation)?

Action taken (what immediate remedial actions did you take, or someone else, to rectify the problem or situation. Were there any follow actions taken later on to stop it happening again)?

Evidence 3: Choose any two factors from the list below that can improve communication (good communication skills) and write a paragraph for each:

Listening
Nonverbal communication
Verbal clarity
Tone and Friendliness
Confidence
Empathy
Open-Mindedness
Respect
Feedback
Picking the right medium (e.g. face to face, phone, email)

Factor 1:

Explain how to above factor can be developed to improve good communication:

Factor 2:

Explain how to above factor can be developed to improve good communication:

Evidence 4: For this piece of evidence you need to describe what actions you would take after receiving a phone call from someone that you are having difficulty understanding. This could be from previous experience, although do not mention names or locations.

It would help if you broke down the situation in two parts by answering the following:

Why did you have difficulty understanding the service user?

Barriers to effective communication can include:

The use of jargon
Religion and / or Cultural differences.
Lack of attention, interest, distractions to the receiver (or information overload)
Differences in perception and viewpoint.
Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties
Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping.
Emotions
Clarity, tone and pace of the conversation (e.g. too fast, too slow, too loud, too quiet)
Technological / equipment / IT Barriers

What did you (or the user) do to help improve understanding?

Factors that can improve communication skills include:

Listening
Nonverbal communication
Verbal clarity
Tone and Friendliness
Confidence
Empathy
Open-Mindedness
Respect
Feedback
Picking the right medium (e.g. face to face, phone, email)

Remember, that in this situation the user wants information that you are not authorised to give

Evidence 4 continued: Include a paragraph on how you could improve your effective communication skills for all our service users so that you can respond to future situations better?

Sign off: After you have collected each piece of evidence, hand them into your trainer / mentor who will then countersign them. Please note that they may ask for additional evidence or ask you follow up questions. Also ensure that:

You have date and signed your work
You only submit evidence for checking once it is completed (you may take individual evidence pieces out of your portfolio)
Ensure any countersigned checked work is returned back (in order) to your portfolio

Try not to hand in multiple pieces of evidence for marking at once - this will create too much work for your trainer / mentor, instead spread your submissions out throughout your training.

Trainer notes: Ensure the candidates line manager completes the 'Line Manager's Comments' section as each module in the portfolio is completed - continuous assessment of the candidates work is required throughout the training period.