Thursday, September 8, 2011

Communication Topics

Small Group Communication 
Healthcare providers must exhibit small group communication skills in various settings.You might need to gather a quick group meeting to communicate new procedures in the emergency department or go over the past week's physician recruitment conference. Having a small group meeting is a uniformed intimate way to make sure everyone is on the same page. While communicating in small groups may not be the most efficient way to communicate it really can be the most effective for people. While it is sometimes hard to take time out of the work day and round up all your staff to go over the new procedures like transferring patients or updating titration reports it will result is less error than if the department manager just sent out an email. When something is spoken rather than read it can usually be understood more clearly and in the business of healthcare having employees clearly understand all the new and different changes is very important not only for the patient's safety but for the overall efficiency of the healthcare system.   

  It is important to remember that this topic of communication applies to groups in very different settings. I referred to this website http://www.speechmastery.com/small-group-communication.html to better learn about small group communication and its techniques. 


 
Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication is a key part of the interaction between all the members of a health system. The simple definition for this term is the verbal and nonverbal interaction between two interdependent people (sometimes more). So many different people must be contacted for one single patient and the way we use interpersonal communication for this connection is transformed by technology.

An amazing look at how good interpersonal communication plays such a vital role in a hospital was given by Dr. Daniel Sands. He gives an in depth look at just how many things can go wrong when there in faulty interpersonal communication in the hospital environment in this paper: http://www.cisco.com/web/about/ac79/docs/wp/Communication_Healthcare_WP_0724FINAL.pdf




 Public Speaking 
During a healthcare professional's career there will be occasions where possessing the courage to speak in front of crowds is imperative. Epically in the administrative or management positions. Whether you are speaking to a bunch of new hires at general orientation or presenting your finding about medication safety at a board meeting it is important to speak clearly and confidently to give off a good impression and possibly secure a future raise or promotion. Public speaking allows the spot light to be on you, which can be the best thing to revamp your career if you know how to shine. 

This article offered many great tips on how to lose those butterflies and become comfortable speaking to your audience. The first tip it suggest that you know what you are talking about. Research what you will be speaking about and be prepared to answer all questions about the topic. While this is important do not stray from the topic you are speaking about and remember that practice does make prefect. Keep this in mind leading up to your big day. And lastly while speaking try to focus on the topic and all the knowledge you hold about the topic. This will ease your stress and lighten you up!





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