Importance of Nonverbal Communication in Nursing - Essay Example

IMPORTANCE OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION Student’s Name Course Professor’s Name University City (State) Date Importance of Nonverbal Communication in Nursing Description of Nonverbal Communication Skill Nonverbal communication is a communication between people through the wordless clues. The wordless clues are used to send and receive information from the communicating parties (Montague et al. 2013). It is assumed that the clues have information and people are capable of differentiating them thus universal. The clues can be in the form of body language which is called the kinesics or the distance that is referred to as the proxemics and the appearance of the physical environment (York 2015). Furthermore, the nonverbal communication can be in the form of a touch thus called haptics or a voice hence called paralanguage. It can also entail the use of time which is commonly called the chronemics. In addition, it nonverbal communication can be in the form of the action done while one is listening or talking which include the eye contact, glances frequency, blink rate, fixation patterns, and pupil dilation. Nonverbal elements can be found in both the speech and written texts. The nonverbal elements found in the speech are called the paralanguage and include the speaking style, volume, pitch, rate, and quality of the voice. Furthermore, speech can have prosodic features that include stress, intonation, and rhythm that are a form of nonverbal communication (Mandal 2014). On the other hand, the nonverbal communication found in the written texts includes the layout of the page, word spatial arrangements, and handwriting style. However, the study of nonverbal communication has been focused on the interaction among individuals. Consequently, it has been classified into three main areas: environmental conditions, physical characteristics, and behaviours. In explanation, nonverbal communication can be in the form of environmental conditions that the communication is conducted. It can also be in the form of the physical characteristics that the communicators find themselves or their behaviours as they interact. Nonverbal communication can be either a conscious or unconscious processes of encoding and decoding. Encoding is the process through which information is generated and includes postures, facial expressions, and gestures (Jain & Choudhary 2011). On the other hand, decoding is the process through which information received from the sensations is interpreted based on the previous experiences. Nonverbal communication is important and more essential compared to the verbal one. In explanation, only a small part of the brain is capable of processing verbal communication. At the infant stage, nonverbal communication is learned through the social-emotional communication through which the face, as opposed to the words, is the major communication organ (Carpenter 2013). As children develop and become verbal communicators, they subconsciously start to look the nonverbal elements such as vocal tones and facial expressions. Culture has a crucial role to play in nonverbal communication. It helps to influence how the learning process is organized. Several of the American Indigenous Communities, for instance, emphasizes nonverbal communication as a way through which children can learn (Henry et al. 2012). In such a scenario, learning is, therefore, not pegged on the verbal communication but nonverbal that serves as the main means through which the interpersonal interaction is organized and cultural values conveyed. As a result, children are taught on how to participate in the system at an early age. Nonverbal communication is important. First, it represents two-thirds of all the communication skills and means. Nonverbal communication can be used to pass a message through gestures or body signals and vocally. The body signals include the physical features, the personal space mediation, and the unconscious and conscious signals and gestures. When the body language conveyed fails to match the verbal message, a wrong message is developed. The nonverbal communication is critical for the first contact with another party. In circumstances such as treating or taking care of a patient, it is assumed that the first four second of contact is critical to developing the impression. In explanation, the first interaction or encounter with another individual has a great influence on his or her perception. When a group of people or a person is absorbing the message, they take consideration of their whole environment. The party absorbing the information uses their five senses during the interaction. Studies show that the percentage of which the second party uses to interact during communication includes sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste in the percentage of 83, 11, 3, 2, and 1 respectively (Henry et al. 2012).  Nonverbal Communication Skills as per My Workplace Using Elements of Thought My area of work in the healthcare is nursing. As a registered nurse I have a three years experience in which I have worked in both the surgical ward and emergency department. I choose the journal article entitled “Communication in nursing practice” to discuss the nonverbal skill in the nursing fraternity (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). The authors of the article are Kourkouta Lambrini and Papathanasiou Ioanna and it was published in the year 2014 in the journal "Materia socio-medica." The main purpose of the article is to show that communication skills, more so, the nonverbal one is critical in determining the success of a nurse. It argues that the nurses need to study interpersonal relations and communication skills during their education integrated with the internships and special courses (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). They need to acknowledge, learn, and understand the several aspects and applications in their nursing field. The article, therefore, calls for the emphasis on the importance of communication skills in the interaction between the patient and the nurse. It also argues that nursing education should focus on the communication skills. The key question that the authors are addressing is: How important are communication skills important to nursing as a profession? (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014) The authors want to determine the kind of interactions that the nurse has and why the communication skills are important in the profession. In addition, the author focuses how nonverbal communication can be used effectively by the nurses in their daily activities to ensure success. The critical information in the article is that communication occurs minus words since it is an ongoing process called nonverbal communication. It can be expressed through physical barriers such as the interlocutor and others which include the posture, gestures and facial expressions. However, it is important that the nonverbal and verbal communication agree (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). More so, in the stressful conditions in which it might be difficult to see the fluctuations in the non-verbal communication from the patients with whom the nurses often communicate. The authors also acknowledge that the characteristics among the patients vary thus influencing their behaviour during communication and how they cooperate with the nursing services. It also affects how they self-manage their health. One of the most important nonverbal communication skills in the responsible nursing practice is listening. Consequently, it needs attention concentration and mobilization of all the communication emitted by the patient; be it non-verbal and verbal. Listening enables the nurses to assess the problems and situation of the patients. Consequently, they enhance the patients’ self-esteem and bring together the process of care and nursing diagnosis. Good personal relationship entails the ability of the nurses to enquire with kindness and give information through a means that will not scare the patients. As a result, the patients will gain interest and feel accepted thus enhancing their health. It will also foster harmonious relationship as the patients gain trust more so in today’s multicultural society. The therapeutic relationship is critical in the development of effective communication between the patients and the nurses for transmitting the information and addressing the mental processes that influence it. The communication between the patients and health professionals include the expression of sincere concern during the patient's care and allowing him or her become the partaker of the interest. The most important information in the article is that nursing focuses on serving human needs. Consequently, it requires not only the scientific knowledge but also the interpersonal, technical and intellectual skills and abilities. In explanation, the main components of efficient nursing include interpersonal communication, clinical work, and knowledge. Communication is critical in the nursing professional since it cuts across all its areas of activity which include health promotion, education, rehabilitation, therapy treatment, and prevention (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). Communication is defined as the creation of message and transaction. It is intrinsic characteristics of human nature hence, all can communicate. However, the message that is sent by one might not be the one to be received at the other end since the message decoding process depends on the subjective perceptions and individual factors. Furthermore, communication is a continuous process and happens in absence of words thus called nonverbal communication and includes posture, gestures and expressions. It is important for one to listen to communication and should entail the use of all the senses. In addition, it is important that the nurse creates a good relationship with the patient. The patients should feel comfortable talking with the nurses but the nurse should ensure that his or her professionalism is not infringed. Honesty and frankness are important as nurses communicate to their patients. In explanation, the communication between the parties should be free from misunderstandings, doubts, and suspicions. Communication needs ample time and comfort of space since patients have their pace and way of revealing their problems. Even though communication is bidirectional, the proper conduct of the process squarely is based on the nurse or health professional. Lastly, communication needs are relative. Individuals will, therefore, expect different levels of listening. The conclusion of the article is that communication is important in the Hippocratic medicine. It is based on the individual ability to the community which varies from one individual to another and the experience and training acquired through exercise. It has been recognised worldwide that education is important in communication as an art. Consequently, it demonstrates personal satisfaction among nurses and a great benefit to the patients during the nursing process. Good communication enhance the quality of care that is given to the patients that influence the results. Furthermore, it helps in the development of the meaningful and genuine relationship between the health professionals including nurses and their patients. Good communication is not only appropriate but considered to be a right. Modern nursing, therefore, needs appropriate interpersonal climate and dialogues since it aims to serve humans (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). The communication should focus on n bringing each of the sick individuals on board, more so, in the modern society that we have today. Continuous education of nurses and expertise training on the proper communication technique will make them respond humanely and appropriately to the patients' expectations. The key concepts that need to be understood in the article are “communication happens without words” and it is a continuous process (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). Furthermore, it is important for there to be an agreement between the nonverbal and verbal communication which might differ from one individual to another. By saying communication is wordless; the author means that the main communication skill is nonverbal which can be expressed through posture, gestures, and facial expressions among others. It is a continuous process since there is no time that it can be said that communication is enough. The parties involved will keep on communicating so long as they are interacting and the same can be said between the nurses and their patients. Lastly, by saying that the nonverbal and verbal communication should always agree, the author meant that the two are complementary. Even though nonverbal communication covers most of the conversation, the importance of the verbal ones cannot be sidelined. For instance, in the stressful conditions that the patients sometimes face, it might be difficult to tell when the non-verbal information changes. In such circumstances, the verbal communication might be of great importance. Communication skills differ from one individual to another depending on their characteristics. As a result, the behaviour experienced during the communication process is influenced. It, therefore, might affect how specific individuals cooperate with the nursing services and how they plan to take management of health at the individual level. The author also argues that the nurse or health professional is the one to blame in case of improper conduct during communication. The author argues that the patient is under physical and emotional stress due to the health issues thus making the nurse in control of the situation. The main assumption that the author is taking for granted is that only the nurse is to blame in case of communication misconduct. The argument that the patient is obvious under stress and, therefore, should not be blamed in case of misconduct is inappropriate (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). In explanation, the nurses can also be under stress when they are being overworked. On the contrary, some of the patients are just rude despite the stress. If the authors’ line of reasoning is taken seriously, communication development will be a critical element in the training of nurses globally. As a result, the nurses will be able to interact efficiently with the patients thus making their work easy and boosting their morale. On the other hand, the patients will feel better as they become more in touch with the nurses (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). In case the line of reasoning is not taken seriously, the efforts will not be made on making the nurses good communicators. As a result, there will be poor communication between nurses and their patients thus causing conflicts (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). The nurses will not be satisfied with their efforts since they will not be maximising their achievements. On the other hand, the patients will not feel supported thus deteriorating health. There are several main points presented in the article as per the view of the authors. First, communication is critical in nursing as a profession. Second, nonverbal communication is the most common form of communication. Third, there is a need for a good balance between nonverbal and verbal communication to ensure efficient and effective interaction (Kourkouta and Papathanasiou 2014). Furthermore, communication is bidirectional and differs across personalities. Lastly, communication should be conducted in a frank and honest manner. An Outline of the Findings 1. Communication includes the development of the message and transacting it. 2. Communication is an intrinsic part of humanity. 3. The message sent during communication can be different with the one received. 4. Listening is important during communication. 5. Nurses should engage in communication skills that inquire in non scary engagements and portrays kindness thus creating the feeling of acceptance, harmony, and trust against the patients. 6. Communication between the nurse and the patient is a continuous process so long as the two are in contact. 7. Communication should make the patient feel comfortable in the presence of the nurse while the latter should work on ensuring that the relationship do not lead to unprofessional interaction. 8. Communication with the patient needs ample time and space. 9. It should be conducted in a frank and honest way. 10. Communication is bidirectional but the role of ensuring proper conduct is based on the health professional like a nurse. 11. The needs for communication differ from one individual to another. An Outline of the Process Used to Evaluate and Teach the Skill to the Professional Colleagues 1. The professional colleagues were issued with the programme plan. 2. The knowledge and skills of the trainees on nonverbal skills were identified at the start of the programme. 3. The learners were given the learning and training resources to enable them to learn as per the objectives of the program and that of the learners themselves. 4. The learning process was monitored as the programme progressed. 5. At the end of the learning programme, an assessment was conducted to determine the level of understanding among the learners. 6. The learners were later on assisted in the development of action plan to implement, practices, and reinforce the learning outcome. A Reflection of the Process and Outcome of the Teaching Session The teaching session was conducted through discussions. I asked questions and allowed the colleagues to react to it. Discussions were based on the importance of nonverbal communication in nursing occupation. The colleagues were, therefore, invited to give their perceptions and experience on the topic. The strategy was developed on how nonverbal communication can be integrated into the daily activities of nursing. During the discussions, the learners were given the opportunity to explore and listen to the experiences, case studies, and strategies proposed. The listening was based on persistence, flexibility, and empathy to build the habits of the mind. How to Improve the Nonverbal Communication Skill in the Workplace The nonverbal communication skills in nursing can be improved through ensuring that no nonverbal cues are missed during the communication. Efforts should be put in place to ensure that the information passed is understood. First, nonverbal communication can be improved through the efficient management of stress. In explanation, nonverbal communication can be improved through learning on how to manage stress during the intense moments. Stress affects one’s communication ability (Peleki et al. 2015). It makes one more likely to misread their counterparts, off-putting, or send confusing the nonverbal signals. It is, therefore, important that one takes time out if overwhelmed with stress before getting back to communication before it makes the situation worse. Second, nonverbal communication can be improved through learning. The learning process can be informal or formal. The informal process of learning entails the daily interaction with people while the formal process is conducted in class. Third, one needs to be aware of his or her emotions to foster nonverbal communication (Wright 2012). In explanation, one needs to recognise his or her emotions and those of others so as to be able to handle others. In addition, the nonverbal communication can be improved through learning to pay attention to the irregularities, checking for the signals as a group, and trusting your instinct as a professional (Vertino 2014). 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York, D., 2015, ‘Non-verbal immediacy's role in student learning’, Journal of Media and Communication Studies, vol. 7, no. 1, pp.1-7. Read More