It is a skill and the way by which information is exchanged or transmitted. This dynamic and constantly changing process involves three components such as verbal skills, nonverbal skills, and ability to listen.
Communication
This idea to be communicated can be the result of thought or feeling and can be influenced by the circumstances of the current situation, as well as the sender’s mood, physical condition, culture, heritage, or background. The sender simply has something they want to communicate to someone else.
* Example: A phlebotomist wants to tell the patient that the patient must relax and keep still while the procedure is ongoing.
The Sender has an Idea to Communicate
To encode the idea means to put the idea into some form that can be communicated. The sender puts the idea into spoken or written words, or perhaps into hand gestures, body movements, or facial expressions. A good communicator always understands the importance of using words, symbols, or gestures that the receiver will understand.
* Example: A phlebotomist tells verbally to the patient, that the patient must relax and keep still while the procedure is ongoing.
The Sender Encodes the Idea in a Message
There is always a particular means, or medium, by which the sender sends the message. This is the channel. The sender can choose to use a telephone, speak face-to-face, write on paper or electronic tablet, send a fax or an email, draw a picture, use body language, make facial expressions, or use hand gestures. Sometimes the channel can be disrupted by noise. The effective communicator however, will always try to lessen the disruptions. Healthcare professionals must accommodate all patients including those with impairments.
* Example: A phlebotomist tells verbally to the patient face-to-face, that the patient must relax and keep still while the procedure is ongoing with a warm smile.
The Message Travels over a Channel
The receiver must then make some sense of the message. To do this, the receiver must decode the message, that is, translate the original message from its encoded form into a form that the receiver understands. This step in the Communication process can be complicated be many factors, all of which are also types of noise such as cultural differences. Perhaps the receiver does not have the education necessary to understand the content of the message. Finally, the receiver may have poor listening—and, therefore, poor communication—skills. There might be physical conditions that prevent the receiver from decoding the message. These can sometimes be actual noises, such as the noise from a nearby construction site or a car honk, a telephone ringing, or a family member interrupting. However, despite the noise present, if the receiver is capable, the message will be decoded properly.
* Example: A phlebotomist tells verbally to the patient face-to-face, that the patient must relax and keep still while the procedure is ongoing with a warm smile, and the patient followed diligently despite being afraid of the procedure.
The Receiver Decodes the Message
The receiver understands the message and provides the sender with feedback, something that says “I have received your message, and I understand it.” This can be verbal or nonverbal—that is, the receiver can say something or make some gesture with their body or hands.
The Receiver Understands the Message and Sends Feedback to the Sender
Anything that inhibits effective communication. Although the term can at times refer to actual sound, it does not have to literally prevent one or both parties from audibly hearing the other. Ultimately, anything that disrupts the communication process is this.
Noise
Noise can come in many different forms:
- The receiver of the message may have some sort of physical pain or discomfort that prevents them from effectively “listening.”
- The receiver may be distracted by fear or anxiety about themselves or a family member or friend and cannot effectively concentrate on the message.
- There may be a language barrier or cultural differences that prevent the receiver from understanding the message.
- The receiver may not be interested in what the sender of the message has to say, either through a simple lack of interest or because of other concerns that have a higher priority for the receiver.
- The receiver of the message may be hearing or sight impaired.
- The channel by which the sender transmits the message may be faulty or may even break down as, for instance, when a phone connection has fuzzy static.
- True communication is not just about speaking. Effective communication requires that the listener participate while the speaker delivers the message. It is always a two-way process.
- It means taking positive steps through feedback to ensure that the listener is interpreting what the speaker is saying exactly as the speaker intended.
Active Listening
- It is associated with spoken words and is vitally important in the healthcare context.
- Good skills of this ensure that the information passed along to patients and their families is clear, accurate and honest and use the appropriate language depending on the patient’s culture, age group and even their level of understanding.
- It assists in the smooth operation of healthcare operations as many of them want to be addressed in a respectful manner.
- The effectiveness of it depends on the tone of the speaker, clarity of speech, volume, speed, body language and the quality of words used in the conversation.
- In this case, the feedback is immediate since there are a simultaneous transmission and receipt of the message by the sender and receiver respectively.
Verbal Communication
It is multidimensional and involves the following elements:
* Kinesics
* Proxemics
* Appearance
* Touch
Nonverbal Communication
Under active listening, this is the foundation of good interpersonal communication.
* The phlebotomist will find that listening carefully to what is being said is particularly valuable in building rapport with patients.
Listening
How many words in verbal messages can an ordinary person absorb per minute?
500-600 words
What is the avergae speaking rate?
125 to 150 words per minute
- This includes characteristics of body motion and language such as facial expression, gestures, and eye contact.
Kinesics
- It is most often is conveyed unintentionallyand plays a major role in communication because it is continuous and more reliable than verbal communication.
Body language
- If the verbal and nonverbal messages do not match
- When this happens, people tend to trust what they see rather than what they hear.
Kinesic slip
Zone Radius
1 to 18 inches
Territorial Zone
Intimate
Zone Radius
1 1/2 to 4 feet
Territorial Zone
Personal
Zone Radius
4 to 12 feet
Territorial Zone
Social
Zone Radius
More than 12 feet
Territorial Zone
Public
- This is the study of an individual’s concept and use of space.
- This subtle but powerful part of nonverbal communication plays a major role in patient relations.
- Every individual is surrounded by an invisible “bubble” of personal territory in which he or she feels most comfortable.
- The size of the bubble or territorial “zone of comfort”
depends on the individual’s needs at the time.
Proxemics
- The impression the phlebotomist makes as he or she approaches the patient sets the stage for future interaction.
- The right image portrays a trustworthy professional. A phlebotomist’s physical appearance should communicate
cleanliness and confidence.
Appearance
- This can take a variety of forms and convey many different meanings
- This special type of nonverbal communication is very important to the well-being of human beings and even more so to those suffering from disease.
- It is a necessary part of the phlebotomy procedure, it is important for the phlebotomist to realize that, patients are often much more aware of your touch than you are of theirs.
Touch
