Cypcore3.4

UNIT REFERENCE: F/601/3327 1. EXPLAIN WHY EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS IMPORTANT IN DEVELOPING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS. Effective communication is fundamental in building positive relationships with children, young people and adult alike. Demonstrating and modelling effective communication skills in dealing with others contributes to positive relationships. Adults need to consider how to approach others and how they respond to others. Positive relationships enable people to communicate information to one another. It is important that we model effective communication skill for children and also act as a role model to the children. Children witness how adults interact and communicate with each other and this in effect influences how they communicate and behave. If a child hears an adult making negative comments, they will see this as acceptable. Relationship problem can develop when individuals have a lack of communication, or does not have the skills to communicate effectively. These skills include clear expression, good listening skills, and being able to adapt to different situation. 2. Explain the principles of relationship building with children, young people and adults. Positive and good relationships are built on warmth, caring, mutual respect and a willingness to listen to and accept each other’s opinion. Relationships with children are especially tender and deserve extra attention and care as children are developing their concept of the world and their place in it. People must rely on one another to build and maintain key relationships. The principles of building relationships are: a) Effective communication: Effective communication gives us better understanding of a person or situation .It enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect and create environment where creative ideas ,problem solving, affection ,and caring can flourish. Effective communication includes non verbal communication, active listening and ability to manage stress in the moment and also to understand the emotions of one self and others. Effective communication must be predicated on a two way process. It is essential to put one’s opinion across, and encourage with every tool and means available the opportunity for a child to contribute. It is essential to listen and there must be feedback b) Effective listening: Effective listening is a part of effective communication that requires the listener to understand, interpret, and evaluate what they hear. The ability to listen actively can improve personal relationships through reducing conflicts, strengthening cooperation, and fostering understanding. It is important that we always listen to others and always show interest in what they have to say and respond appropriately. c) Showing respect: People including adult and children we work with are from different cultures and have different beliefs or values from ours, so it is important that the beliefs or values are listened to and respected. d) Being considerate: Learning to understand the behaviours of others and also to reason why an adult or children we work with reacted in the way they did. Being considerate is not judging other people’s behavior, but also trying to understand the rationale behind their behaviour. e) Showing interest in personal things that has been shared with you: Remembering personal things people or colleagues have told you and showing interest will build a positive relationship. For example, a colleague of yours told you she was going to see her mum in the hospital and that her mum is in a critical state. It is important that when you see her the next morning, you show concern by asking her about her mum and encouraging her. f) Maintaining a sense of humor: A sense of humor is the ability to be amused. The ability to laugh can dispel tension. A person with a good sense of humour appears to be happier and healthier according to psychological studies. Being a happy person goes a long way in the way you relate to others. 1.3 Explain how different social, professional and cultural contexts may affect relationships and the way people communicate. Different social, professional and cultural context affects our relationships and also the way we communicate with each other. We must always consider the context or situation before communication takes place. For example, the way we communicate with our colleagues will definitely be different from the way we communicate with parents and external agencies. With my colleagues, we tend to communicate in a formal and informal way depending on the situation. As a teaching assistant in a school, I have learnt the different ways of communicating with children, colleagues, parents, careers and other outside agencies. Different communication language and styles needs to be adopted in different circumstances. With children, I always show interest in what they are saying as it boosts their confidence and shows that I care. I also respect their background and what they believe in. From the professional point of view, we do a lot of formal communications on a face to face basis, through email, phone calls, letters etc. While in a cultural context, I need to consider other cultures and respect other people’s views as everyone is entitled to their opinion, as we know different cultures will have their own norms of behavior which will extent to gestures, body language and eye contact.