Interpersonal Communication Skills in Nursing: A Reflective Report

This report delves into the critical role of interpersonal communication in nursing, specifically focusing on its impact on patient safety. The author examines the effectiveness of communication methods and provides a self-assessment of their own strengths and weaknesses in seeking and giving information within a healthcare setting. The report highlights the importance of both verbal and non-verbal communication, emphasizing the need for nurses to effectively convey information to patients and colleagues. The author utilizes online interpersonal communication tests to support their self-analysis, identifying areas for improvement, such as public speaking. The report concludes with a set of goals aimed at addressing identified weaknesses, primarily focusing on enhancing communication skills through increased practice and experience, especially in group settings. The report also includes references to relevant literature and online resources that support the analysis.

Reflective Interpersonal
Communication in Nursing

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Effectiveness of the interpersonal communication for the patient safety...................................1
My strength and weakness in interpersonal communication while seeking and giving
information..................................................................................................................................2
Online interpersonal communication test to support my strength and weakness.......................2
.....................................................................................................................................................4
Goals to address my weakness....................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Interpersonal communication is the exchange of data and information between two or
more people. This is the skills that help to developed, improve and enhance with the increased
practice and knowledge When communication is taking place, the two activities are done that is
message sending and reviving, which can be done with the help of direct and indirect methods.
Effective interpersonal communication can be done when the person who send and receive the
message understand the information which is being transferred. Hence, it is he process of
exchanging information, meaning, ideas, emotion etc. with the help of verbal or non-verbal
communication. For this report “giving or seeking information” have been selected. And the
report also includes importance of interpersonal communication while giving or taking
information from the people with that it also covers some strength and weakness of mine while
gathering and communicating information to the people with effective interpersonal skills.
Effectiveness of the interpersonal communication for the patient safety
Information plays very important part in the nursing organization, Giving and taking
information is the part of interpersonal communication. If the information is not transferred,
them communication process will not be finished properly. It is mandatory for the staff of
company to communicate relevant information which may cause risk yo the patient. There are
some material and inventory in the hospital which may cause large risk to the customer so the
organization need to communicate with the clients and let them know that how to use the
products so that they cannot harm them.
As I am nurse in nursing organization, it is very significant for me to have proper
communication with the patient as well as with the team of organization which may include
management team and my peers. For me, safety is vital part of the organization, I need to take
care of the patient and need to satisfy their needs. In order to identify what problem, they have
and what issues they need to be cured, I can be capable to communicate with them and ask them
what type of health issues they have? I need to have good interpersonal communication skills
which would help me to take information from patients as well as give information to the
customers (Walther, 2017). Patient safety is the discipline that focuses on the security in health
care with the help of preventing, reporting, reducing and analysing the medical errors that can
leads to dangerous effects (Connor and Kashima, 2016). I had made some mistakes while
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collecting the information from the patient as my communication skills was not effective and I
dont know more about verbal and non verbal communication. In that situation I am not able to
analyse the problem that what the customers have? In this situation I will not able to take care of
the patient in the effective manner as I fell lot of hesitation while asking their problems, this is
the key reason I do not access communication skills. While communicating with the people, I am
not that much efficient with my language, so I need to develop good interpersonal
communication skills with good vocabulary which help me to take and give information to the
customers in order to take care about their safety. I should now the mood of patient and then
have communication. Like if the patient is in the bad mood so I need to take care of it and
communicate in the polite manner and if the patient is in joky mood, then I can communicate
with freedom.
My strength and weakness in interpersonal communication while seeking and giving information
By analysing myself in 10 days, I came to know that, I have different strength while
communicating with the different people but I do have some weaknesses which should be reduce
as soon as possible so that I can take care of patient in the effective and efficient manner. The
strength I have are
 I listen patient in proper manner that what they are trying to say and explain me. It is
very important for the nurse to hear and understand what health problem patient is
facing,
 After understanding them I try to find the best solution so that patient can be recovered
fast.
 When it comes to conveying the message, I am not able frame the sentences in effective
manner so that patient are not able understand what I am trying to say.
 With that I came to know that verbal and non verbal communication is very important
aspect while interacting with the patient, I can properly use different gestures with proper
body language which help me to communicate in the effective way.
 As I am outgoing person, I like to communicate with the new people. This helps me in
seeking good interpersonal communication skills in my professional life or in the
hospital.
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 I have good ability to listen the people and not interrupting them in middle while
listening, with that I react in proper way so that I do not harm the patient emotion and
feelings which is very important in interpersonal communication.
The weaknesses I analysed in these 10 days are
 When I need to speak in-front of large population, I feel hesitation and nervous and
which leads to in-proper communication of the message.
 Sometimes I do not consider the needs of people and start giving my own judgement and
which is very negative aspect in interpersonal communication, it is very important to hear
and understand the problem of person and put myself in the patient shoes.
In order to reduce these weaknesses, I have started giving presentation in-front of large
population which motivate me to speak freely when there are large people in-front of me. I also
start understanding the needs of people, this have increased proper communication between me
and my patient
Online interpersonal communication test to support my strength and weakness
Two online interpersonal communication tests have been taken which clearly state that I
have good listening and speaking skills. From the first test is analysed that I have effective Aural
skills which communicates that I have good skills to listen the individual properly as well as I
can understand their problem (VARK Test, 2017). It also states that I can react in effective
manner which does not harm the individual's emotions and feelings. With that VARK, test it is
analysed that I have less Visual, Read/Write and Kinaesthetic as compared with the Aural skills
which states that I feel less motivated when I communicate in the group (Interpersonal
communication test, 2017). The other test also indicate that I am good in interpreting the other
people's words and actions. This also states that I have empathy for others which help me to do
my best to place myself in the other people's shoes in order to understand them.
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Illustration 1: Online test
(Source: VARK test. 2017)
§§
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Illustration 2: Online test
(Source: Interpersonal communication skills test, 2017)
Goals to address my weakness
My biggest weakness is I feel hesitation and less motivated while communicating in
group, to improve that weakness, my goal is to give as much as presentations in-front of large
group which help to gain good interpersonal communication skills. Presentation is the best way I
found to remove group communicate issues, while doing this activity, I can stand and
communicate in the group and in-front of large population.
CONCLUSION
From the report, it is concluded that interpersonal communication is very important for
giving and seeking information in the nursing organization in order to safeguard patient from
dangerous issues. The report includes my strength and weakness while communicating with
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people which includes that I have good hearing skills but I am not capable to convey my
message in large population. In order to reduce that weakness, I implement the strategy that is to
give good number of presentations.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journal
Connor, P. and Kashima, Y., 2016. Interpersonal communication about climate change: how
messages change when communicated through simulated online social networks. Climatic
change. 136(3-4). pp.463-476.
Radford, M. L. and Radford, G. P., 2017. Library Conversations: Reclaiming Interpersonal
Communication Theory for Understanding Professional Encounters. Neal-Schuman.
Walther, J. B., 2017. The Merger of Mass and Interpersonal Communication via New Media:
Integrating Metaconstructs. Human Communication Research.
Online
VARK Test, 2017. [Online] Available Through:<http://vark-learn.com/the-vark-questionnaire/?
p=results>[Accessed on 14th September 2017]
Interpersonal communication test, 2017. [Online] Available
Through:<http://cl1.psychtests.com/bin/transfer>[Accessed on 14th September 2017]
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