1. BTEC Level 3 National Health and Social Care
Unit 1: Developing effective communication in health and social care

2. Learning outcomes
Understand effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care
Understand factors that influence communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care environments
Understand ways to overcome barriers in a health and social care environment
Be able to communicate and interact effectively in a health and social care environment
© Hodder Education 2011

3. Understand effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care
What is communication and why is it important?
Communication is central to all work within health and social care. It informs all actions taken to meet the needs of individuals using health and social care.
Interpersonal communication and interaction is the process of giving, receiving and exchanging messages, ideas or information between two or more people.
Interpersonal interaction can involve both the spoken word and non-verbal messages such as facial expressions and body language.
Effective communication occurs when the message is sent, received, decoded, understood and responded to – this is the ‘Communication Cycle’ (Argyle, 1972).
© Hodder Education 2011

4. Understand effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care
The context of communication
The context refers to who is involved and the purpose of the communication, for example, between colleagues, with professionals from different areas or specialisms or with relatives.
Context influences the form of communication, which can be formal (e.g. between professionals) or informal (e.g. between colleagues and individuals using services).
Context is important when deciding which form of communication to use in order to ensure the message is understood. Types of communication include face to face, written, phone or use of special forms such as signing or technological aids such as Minicom.
© Hodder Education 2011

5. Understand effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care
Formal and informal communication
Formal: communication usually takes place in a professional situation such as a job interview or when you meet your placement supervisor.
Informal: communication usually takes place with someone you know or are familiar with, such as friends, family members and work colleagues.
© Hodder Education 2011

6. Understand factors that influence communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care environments
Who, what and where
Individuals will have different needs and preferences when communicating, so the language you use and the messages you give through body language will influence the course and outcome.
Sometimes you may need to give unwelcome news or talk about sensitive and personal things which can make conversation awkward.
The place you choose to hold a conversation will depend on the factors above, but the environment can affect communication positively or negatively.
© Hodder Education 2011

7. Understand factors that influence communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care environments
© Hodder Education 2011

8. Understand ways to overcome barriers in a health and social care environment
How can you deal with barriers?
Think about emotions – strong feelings can prevent people from hearing the message and misunderstandings are common.
Think about your approach – are you calm, caring and confident?
Think about your strategy – what method will you use? How do you know it’s the right one? What do you want the outcome to be?
Communication training, developing assertiveness skills, learning to defuse aggression, promote people’s rights and build relationships will enable you to deal with barriers you may encounter.
© Hodder Education 2011