Why_Communication_Is_Important_in_the_Work_Setting

Unit 001 Why communication is important in the work setting Identify different reasons why people communicate Communication is not only important but essential when working with children and young people to make sure everyone is able to work together to be able to create a happy environment for the children and staff. There are many different reasons why people need to communicate. Staff at times will need to give parents information about their children, for example the daily activities the children are participating in and what they have achieved that day. Parents will also need to know their progress in their learning and any incidents or accidents that may have occurred during the day at the setting. Parents will also need to use communication to give staff information about a child’s particular needs, for example if a child had an allergy to a certain food or a child needed to take certain medication for an illness while at the setting. So to gain and share information is one of the main reasons why people need to communicate. Another important factor of why people communicate is to express needs and feelings. A child will communicate to staff either by talking, crying or using facial expressions to show negative/positive feelings. The children in the setting need to use communication to express certain needs, for example if a child wanted help with putting their coat on or needed help to go to the toilet. Staff will also need to give instructions to the children so they understand what they need to do in certain situations that could arise within the setting. It could be important instructions for a fire drill; children will need to know what is required of them when an emergency situation happens. Communicating instructions between colleagues so they know what they have to do, for example leading a certain activity. The manager of the setting may want the activity to be done in a certain way, so by using communication to give and receive instructions between colleagues will help the activity to run smoothly and efficiently. Another important reason for communicating is to gain reassurance. The children will gain reassurance by the staff using communication to praise them when they do well which will reassure them that they are doing a certain task or activity right. Building and maintaining relationships between staff and the children, staff and parents and staff and their colleagues is another essential reason why people communicate. Building a positive relationship with the parents is imperative to build an effective working relationship between the setting and the parents. Using communication to build relationships with the children is extremely important; they need to feel safe in their environment and to know they can share anything with you. It's also essential for staff to communicate with their colleagues so the setting can run productively and efficiently. Explain how effective communication affects all aspects of our own work Effective communication is definitely one of the most important sources of our own work. Being able to Communicate effectively is an important skill to have because it is essential for you to be able to do well and progress in the setting. When you communicate effectively there are three aspects of our work that will in the end benefit. Our relationships with the children, parents and of course our colleagues. Communicating effectively with the children in the setting will help their learning and development and they will learn to respect and have full trust in you and will be able to communicate with you more freely. Effective communication amongst your colleagues will help you develop professionally within your profession and will help you to have a positive working relationship which will benefit the learning and development of every child in the setting. By communicating effectively with the parents it will help build confidence between the parents and staff which will allow for sharing information about each child more freely. The parents will also feel that you value their children and have time for them. Your relationship with the parents will also develop positively because they will know you're willing to listen to their concerns. Effective communication can be verbal or non verbal and most importantly to be able to communicate effectively you need to be clear and direct about what you are trying to get across. Explain why it is important to observe an individual's reactions when communicating with them It's important to observe an individual's reaction when communicating with them because you need to know what they are feeling and what they went to get across to you. Confidence issues with some people may mean that they are unable to verbally get across what they are feeling or wanting to say to you. By observing there non-verbal reactions which include body language, facial expressions, physical gestures will help you to understand their feelings. If you don’t pay attention to their body and facial expressions then you will miss out on a large part of communication. Another important reason why we need to observe an individual's reactions is because they may be of different culture and speak another language. In this case you will need to observe there non-verbal reactions such as body language and facial expressions but also be aware that some expressions might well have a different meaning for other cultures. Identify Barriers to communication There are a number of different barriers to communication that could occur when trying to communicate with people, and if you don’t find a way to overcome them then communication will be near enough impossible. When trying to get our message across affectively certain barriers may occur such as physical disabilities which can include a hearing disability and visual disability. Communicating with people who have physical disabilities will prove more difficult unless you find ways to adapt to them. There are many ways to overcome the barrier of a hearing disability you could use pictures or write messages to communicate with them or learn a method of signing such as British sign language or Makaton. Also make sure your face is visible because they might be able to lip read to understand you. To overcome the barrier of a visual disability you could use verbal communication to describe things or even use Braille. Children with learning difficulties could prove to be difficult to communicate with if they don’t understand the content of communication such as difficult words or ideas that they are not sure about so they will struggle to understand the message you are trying to get across to them so by simplifying words will help overcome this. Another main barrier to communication is language. Their first language may not be English so when communicating with them you could use visual aids, diagrams, non-verbal signs and maybe translate keywords. If they don’t speak the same language as you then you could overcome this by using an interpreter. Cultural differences are a barrier to communication; they could come from different backgrounds and have different opinions and beliefs. Culture differences could be the different interests they have or the way they dress or there different beliefs, religion so you most respect people's opinions and beliefs to overcome this barrier. Confidence is another barrier to communication. If a person is shy or has no confidence in themselves then they may find it hard to communicate with you. To help overcome this barrier you will need to be patient with them and give them plenty of praise and encouragement which will increase their confidence allowing them to eventually communicate with you. Explain the term confidentiality The term confidentiality means not to share information about people without their knowledge or written agreement. It should only be accessible to only those authorized to access it. Staff must not share information or discuss information about children outside the workplace. Only parents will have access to the files and records of their own children but will not have access to information about any other child in the setting. Information giving by parents to the manager, supervisor or key person will not be passed onto another person without their permission to do so. The data protection act 1998 is the legislation that covers confidentiality it protects the right of the individual to privacy with respect to processing of personal data. Explain how and when to seek advice about confidentiality When working within your setting you may come across an issue that is confidential and are in doubt about what to do, so you should always seek advice and direction about confidentiality from your manager especially if your doubt relates to a concern about possible harm to a child or others. If someone has given you information in confidence and your concerned about the information they have given you then you should seek advice. Children in your setting may tell you personal information about themselves and you will have to decide whether to keep it to yourself or pass it onto your manager if you think it's necessary for them to know for example if you believe that child is at risk. You should always seek advice in a place where you know there is nobody there so they can't over hear your conversation. It should be done verbally on a one to one basis and not by methods such as text messaging and emailing which other people could have access to. Describe situations where information normally considered to be confidential might need to be passed on There are certain situations which occur in your setting that confidential information about a particular child or person has to be shared. You must get the parents' permission to share such information if the situation is to do with the child. If you believe the child is suffering or at risk of suffering harm or abuse is suspected you don’t need parental permission, but seek advice from your manager first. The child’s safety and welfare is paramount. Another situation would be if you feel a child needs additional support from other professionals. Another situation would be if Ofsted request to see child’s records at times then they are authorized to have access to them.