Communication_in_Worplace

Identify different reasons why people communicate Communication is the exchange and flow of information and ideas from one person to another. People communicate for a number of different reasons were of which I have listed below. *Give information/ receive information When a parent and childcare practitioner have a good communication a child will always benefit. I invite people to see me in my setting and show them what I do and how I do things. If they decide they would like to sign contract with me and leave their child in my care I do expect from parents to inform me about all important things about their child/ ren, their likes and dislikes, special needs, dietary requirements, health issues, arrangements information such as : who is responsible for picking up. I will be giving them lots of information about their child on a daily basis such as: progress in learning, what food they had, what activities they choose on that day and other issues. I think, and I experience the importance of taking to parents to pass the information about their child/ren. I also feel like parents appreciate me talking to them on daily basis and they feel closer to their children and I am very satisfied with the way parents approach me and their children. *Establish and maintain relationship Effectively estabilising relationship is a crucial part of practitioner’s role. Good communication skills allow them to start much relationship quickly. It is important to maintain relationship especially with parents as it has a positive impact on children`s emotional well – being. Every person has a good and bad days sometimes. There are so many things happening in our lives and having an impact on how we feel. I meet minded children`s parents every day and I know that sometimes we might sound unhappy when greating others. I always make sure that I have a smile on my face upon arrivals and departures to feel parents and their children welcomed (an less there is a serious issue that need to be discussed with parents, I would talk to them and be honest).  Small talk I do practice small talk in my setting and parents appreciate the way our relationship is maintained. A quick relation from the day seems very useful. Expressing needs and feelings This is another key to emotional well – being of both children and parents. I make sure that I always have time for parents whenever they want to talk and on regular basis will do a parent questionnaire to let parents express their feelings and opinions. For some people it may be easier to put things in writing rather than discussion, people may be shy. Parents feelings and children`s feelings and well – being is extremely important for me. Children are given opportunity to express their feelings via while range of activities such as: painting, drawing, role play, talking, games. Expressing ideas, thoughts and opinions I value children`s and parents contribution to my practice and I believe that everybody will feel respected and valued if the thought or opinion will be taken into consideration. Some children or parents might be shy to say anything as they might be worried about “ sticking their fingers where they shouldn`t”, I however try to encourage children and parents to be totally honest and always not hesitate to say things to me. Different methods of communication Verbal communication – on daily basis and one of most preferred by people and parents I work with. This method is important when maintaining relationships, expressing needs, feelings, ideas, thoughts also giving and receiving acknowledgement, reassurance, encouragement and support. This is also the quickest , easiest and most effective way to communicate on daily basis. verbal method of communication “face to face” – most parents prefer that. telephone conversation – quiet often used to pass quick information and important in emergency. I also use it to reassure parents that their child/ren are fine during settling in period as they may be worried. Method also used to arrange/ confirm appointments . video web – cam link, audio clip – I don`t use this method as it is busy in my setting and I understand that parents would be busy at work too. It requires time to set camera, microphones and I prefer to spent more time giving attention to children rather than struggling with modern technology. There are some advantages of using internet as a way of communication if both sides agree. Non- verbal communication texting – I personally use it often and this kind of communication works well with all parents. Example: quick reminder about bringing spare clothes as we are going to the woods for exploring and child might get wet or messy. pictures and symbols – photos are often shared with parents in my setting ; parents always like to see what they child is up to during the day in and out of the setting when not with them. letter – used more in bigger settings than childminding services. There are other more preferable methods used in my setting. reports and newsletter – as above(letter) facial expression, gestures and body language e – mail – used in my setting very often, parents get to me via e- mail asking for vacancies. Some people might find it hard to be with someone face to face and might prefer this kind of communication. It is great to attach some files for parents attention such as photos or scan of their drawing. Parents like it and they appreciate it.  sign language – most effective way deaf people communicate. Not many people know Makaton. Mahaton is not used in my setting but I previously overcame working with deaf people and students having learning difficulties and disabilities. I am willing to undertake all necessary training related to my job to meet children`s individual needs. Demonstration how people from different backgrounds may use or interpret communication methods in different ways. Effective communication with people of different cultures is especially challenging. Cultures provide people with ways of thinking, ways of seeing, hearing and interpreting of world. Thus the same words can mean different things to people from different cultures even when they talk the same language. Each culture has its own rules about verbal and non – verbal communication. Whatever one looks the other person in the eye – or not, wether one says what one means overtly or talks around the issue: how close the people stand to each other when talking – all of these and many more are rules of politeness which differ from culture to culture. Different cultures regulate the display of emotion differently. Some cultures get very emotional when they are debating an issue. They yell, they cry, they exhibit their anger, fear, frustration and other feelings openly. Other cultures try to keep their emotions hidden exhibiting or sharing only the “rational” or factual aspects of the situation. Our families will have the biggest influence on how we communicate. Within a family non – verbal communication can be very subtle as there is such a deep familiarisation, a look or gesture may convey a message that could only be understood by those within the family. For example : my son calls his dummy “PAPA”, papa means different things in different languages, food in some, or grandpa in others . People outside of my family don `t understand what he wants when asking for “papa”. It is not just the meaning of words that may differ within family but also the kind of words that are acceptable to use. The kind of person you are or the kind of family you came from can also influence the way in which you communicate. Some children are brought up in a noisy busy background and will probably have the confidence to talk to new people or try new ways of communicating, as will people who are confident. Quieter people or those lacking confidence may appear more withdrawn or reluctant to attempt new ways of communicating. Past experience can also have a great effect. People who grew up in a house where people didn`t read or use the telephone they may shy away from these form of communication. Our ethnic orgin may also influence how people use and interpret different communication methods. Some people are still unable to communicate through reading or writing. Some cultures interpret the tone of voice differently raised voice could mean an argument to some people but to others mean an exciting conversation. Some cultures, especially those in the west are very adapt to new forms and varieties of communication methods such as e – mail and texting. This is as a result of the wide availability and accessibility of computers and mobile phones and the network technology required for powering these. Other cultures either do not have the infrastructure or they don`t have the money to adapt these communication methods. Age will also influence the use of these types of communication. Older people prefer to communicate through telephones and the written word as they are familiar with them and may find the computer technology a little confusing. The way in which we communicate will be influence by our experiences. Knowledge and understanding brings confidence and ability and it is these that will form the basis of our adopted style of communication. IDENTIFY BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION There are number of barriers that can affect the success of our communication. These include: - Physical environment – noisy background, physical separation can have an impaction the successful transmission of information - Information overload – availability of huge amounts of data which the receiver is unable to handle effectively - Cultural barriers – same category of words, phrases symbols, actions mean different thongs to people of different countries/ cultural background. - Selective perception – our perceptions are based on our experiences, our knowledge, our background and our culture. Differences in perceptions between the sender and the receiver can therefore lead to communication difficulties. - Language barriers indicate difficulty when trying to communicate with someone who doesn`t share a common language - Communication skills - Interpersonal relationships - Body language – is seen to be the second most important manner of communication which shows confidence - Past experience - Filtering - Sensory deprivation – when someone cannot receive or pass on information because they have impairment to one or more of their senses, most commonly a visual or a hearing disability - Emotions – emotional difficulties - Health issues - Misinterpretation of message REFLECTIVE ACCOUNT DEMONSTRATE WAYS TO OVERCOME BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION In March I have signed a contract with mum `R` of child `S`. We agreed to I week paid holiday for me. I have taken that week holiday in May and when I came back I asked to be paid for that period of my absence. When mum was due to pay me the usuall weekly payment I said that I need to count the money and calculate if that is correct. Mum got very upset and said : “Oh, you childminders you only want money from us and I am always paying you on time and the right amount “. I said: “ I am only making sure that the payment is correct and I would like you to go through it with me as I want to avoid any mistakes or misunderstandings”. Mrs R said: “You are telling me that I didn`t pay you enough money!!!” I responded: “I did not say such thing and I would like to work in partnership with you and this is very important mater to be clear when it comes to money. I did not mean to upset anybody and I know how honest and organised you are which I really appreciate”. I sat Mrs R down and she told me about bad experience she had with her son`s previous childminder who wasn`t clear about the money and kept messing the payments up. We both calculated the payments and everything was clear for both of us. Both of us were happy about the outcome and glad that we had this conversation. Mrs R previous bad experience was a barrier to effective communication as she reacted very quickly and emotional. EVALUATION: Since I had this situation I am being very organised with the payments and very clear upon singing paperwork with parents. If there is an issue I discuss it with parents as soon as I can I also thank parents and appreciate whenever payment is being made. RELACTIVE ACCOUNT DEMONSTRATE STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE USED TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDINGS There are three different people (family members) to pick up and drop of the child who is in my setting. Child was picked up on Monday evening by auntie who asked if I could look after the child the next day from 9 – 5 instead 3 – 6. I did agree to it but in the morning I do school runs and I asked to drop off the child to my setting either at 8:45 or 9:15 as I will be out at 9. The next day mum came at 9 when I was out doing school run with other kids assuming that the child will come at 9:15. Mum called me and said that she will be really late for work today because I didn`t tell her about my school run. Mum was upset with me and auntie not passing the message to her. It was a misunderstanding due to having a poorly informing participant – auntie. EVALUATION: I make sure that the message is passed on properly to the person who should receive it. I would now in situation like this pass a message to an auntie and call the parents to confirm they got the message to avoid such misunderstanding. Also, making little notes for parents would help but confirmation would be required as well.