Analysis of Communication Techniques in Healthcare Settings

This report examines effective communication techniques within healthcare settings, focusing on the Johari Window model for understanding interpersonal relationships, formal organizational communication (downward, upward, and horizontal), active listening skills (restatement, reflection, and clarification), and therapeutic communication involving verbal and nonverbal cues. It emphasizes the importance of open communication, constructive feedback, and empathy in fostering a positive work environment and enhancing patient care. The analysis underscores how these communication strategies contribute to building trust, resolving conflicts, and achieving common goals within healthcare organizations, ultimately improving the quality of care provided to patients. Desklib offers this document as part of its collection of solved assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: COMMUNICATION
Student Name
Student No.
Unit
Title: Effective Communication Technique

COMMUNICATION
Question 1: The Johari Window
The Johari Window is a psychological model that explains about the relationship and
the mutual interaction between people in a group. It is a tool that helps one understand their
relationship with themselves and that of fellow members in a group. The objective of this
model is to create trust within the group setting by disclosing information about oneself with
the group members. The Johari window is made up of four quadrants the open self, the blind
self, the hidden self and the unknown self. The open self-quadrant explains the behaviours,
attitudes, skills and features that one is aware of about themselves and are willing to share
with others. It explains a state whereby one is straight forward to themselves and others about
their intentions (Geyer and Young, 2009).
The hidden self is the state of a person know to others but not known to him. This
occurs especially when one unconsciously copies personalities. The hidden self indicates the
state of a person known to himself but unknown to others (Parveen, 2015). This is seen
mostly in introverts, people who do not share much about themselves. Lastly is the unknown
self. This state is unknown to neither the individual nor to others. In a health care setting
where there is ineffective communication and the physicians are under immerse stress, the
idea to solve this is increasing the open area of the Johari window. This can be done by
reducing the hidden area, whereby the health care professionals tell one another about their
unknown aspects. They could also help one another to minimize the blind area by trying to
learn themselves from what others tell them (Videbeck, 2010). This would help bring sanity
at the work environment.
Question 2: Formal Organizational Communication
Formal communication depends on the formal organization in a firm. For effective
management, communication should flow smoothly down the hierarchy of management.

COMMUNICATION
Formal communication stabilizes communication thus bringing out the clarity of the message.
There are three types of formal communication: downward, upward and horizontal
communication. Downward communication flows downwards through the management
hierarchy, from the superiors to the subordinates (Scott and Lewis, 2017). This type of
communication occurs during dissemination of orders, policy directives and instructions.
Downward communication is beneficial if the feedback is constructive. This communication
build up an atmosphere of transparency by passing information through the official channels.
The employees’ morale is boosted by frequent downward communication as it shows the
management is concerned about their progress.
Upward communication is the opposite of downward communication. It originates
from the subordinates to the superiors. Upward communication helps providing suggestion on
how to improve the work environment, solving work related disputes and sharing ones
feelings about the firm. Upward communication is very beneficial in solving problems. Once
a problem is brought to the superiors, the bigger possibility is that it will not occur again.
This communication gives rise to valuable suggestions and ideas from the subordinates. The
biggest disadvantage about this communication is that handing down of decisions by
superiors could occur. Lastly, horizontal communication occurs among people at the same
rank in an organization. This type of communication helps individuals interact at their level
without involving those in other levels (Mukherjee, 2009). This type of communication is
important in coordinating tasks, building of rapport, solving problems and sharing
organization’s goal related information. This communication helps employees to develop
sense of teamwork and work together to attain a common goal to the interest of the firm.
However, problems like ego clashes could occur especially when one of the employees
communicates regularly (Zink, 2018).

COMMUNICATION
Question 3: Active listening
Active listening does not come automatically, but it is a skill that needs perseverance
and practice for it to develop. It is important in health care setting as the art of effective
communication lies on the ability to listen with perception. It calls for total attention not only
to hear the words but also the feelings of the patient. Restatement is a technique of active
listening whereby the listener restates whatever they have heard from the speaker. Kearney-
Nunnery (2015) claims that restatement helps assure the patient that the nurse has heard
whatever is being communicated. It helps the client continue with their speech and is used at
the initial stage of active listening. Reflection is sieving the main themes from the patient-
nurse conversation then redirecting them to the patient. The health care practitioner listens to
the patient’s feelings from the conversation then shares them back in a non-judgmental and
open manner. This makes the patient able to explore their ideas and get a clearer
understanding of their feelings. Clarification happens when the patient is given the
opportunity to explain their feelings and wants in details. The nurse should look attentively to
the patient to allow them continue expressing themselves. However, this technique should not
be allowed until the patient clearly understands their current condition (Friberg and Creasia,
2016).
Question 4: Therapeutic communication
Effective communication involves both verbal and nonverbal techniques to help care
receiver needs and also promote the healing process. It is vital in providing holistic care to
patients. Nonverbal communication does not involve word but body language to convey
information. During effective communication, active listening needs the nurse to listen
attentive to both the verbal and nonverbal word from the patient. This includes eye contact,
which indicates readiness to interact, relaxed but upright posture and other minimal cues and

COMMUNICATION
leads such as nodding, smiling and leaning closer to the patient. Contact between the clinician
and the patient creates a focused relationship. Touch is a powerful tool than even words, as
words can even break the patient’s moods or even fail to attain the intended feeling. This
helps them attain a common health goal. Providing leads to the patient helps them continue
discussing their feelings. It also helps come up with a new discussion focusing at a particular
direction. Touch in effective communication is categorized into instrumental, expressive and
protective touches. Protective touch prevents the patient from hurting themselves.
Instrumental touch happens when the care giver is performing direct care. Expressive touch
helps convey emotions, compassion and support to the patient. It is the most important type
of touch during care for patients. It helps build a therapeutic relationship between the care
giver and the patient and helps the patient appreciate that there is somebody caring for them
(Sherko, Soriti and Lika, 2013). Minimal cues are important in effective communication as
they add feelings to the communication. The patient feels that the nurse can understand what
she feels.

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References
Friberg, E. and Creasia, J. (2016). Conceptual Foundations: The bridge to professional
nursing practice. Virginia: Elsevier.
Geyer, N., Young, A. (2009). Juta’s Manual of Nursing. Lansdowne: Juta & Co. Ltd.
Kearney-Nunnery, R. (2016). Concepts of Professional Nursing. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis
Company.
Mukherjee, K. (2009). Principles of Management and Organizational Behaviour. New Delhi:
Tata McGraw-Hill Educational Private Limited.
Parveen, S. (2015). Self-awareness as a Therapeutic Tool for Nurse/Client Relationship. The
International Journal of Caring Science, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 21-217.
Sherko, E., Soriti, E. and Lika, E. (2013). Therapeutic Communication. The JAHR, Vol. 4,
No. 7, pp. 374-384.
Scott, C. and Lewis, L. (2017). The International Encyclopedia of Organizational
Communication. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Videbeck, S. L. (2010). Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. New York: Lippincott Williams
and Wilkins.
Zink, J. (2018). Organizational Communication. Retrieved from:
https://granite.pressbooks.pub/organizationalcommunication/front-matter/
introduction/