Addressing Barriers to Effective Communication

Description:

Think of a particular day you spent working in a health care environment, and consider
three or four distinct points in time. For each point of time, consider the following: With
whom did you interact? Which forms of communication did you use? What issues
were communicated about-did they seem to be light-hearted or sensitive?
Straightforward or complicated? How would you describe the pace of the interactions
and your work?

As you consider these questions, it becomes clear that communication can be quite
complex, with many layers of meaning that shape the experience for everyone
involved. How could this awareness help you to understand instances of ineffective
communication when they arise?

To prepare:

Reflect on an incident involving ineffective communication within your organization or
another health care setting. Consider this incident through the lens of the
communication process.

What barriers contributed to this incident? What other challenges may have influenced
this situation?

Consider what could have been done to prevent or address the ineffective
communication. Why do you think the use of these strategies would have resulted in
better outcome(s)?

Post a summary of an incident involving ineffective communication. Describe
communication barriers and other challenges that contributed to the incident. Propose
one or more strategies that could have been employed to promote a better outcome.
Be sure to refer to elements of the communication process.