INTRODUCTION
Communication is the activity of
conveying information. Communication has been derived from the Latin word
“communis,” which means “to share.” Communication requires a sender, a message,
and an intended recipient. However, the receiver need not to be present or be
aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus,
communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication
requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative commonality.
The communication process is complete once the receiver has understood the
message of the sender. Feedback is critical for effective communication between
parties.
Communication is part
and parcel of our day-to-day professional as well as social life. It is
interwoven in all nursing activities and is an inseparable part of the nursing
process. The nurse has to communicate patient information and other facts to
the members of health care team to achieve health-related goals of the patient.
Similarly, she has to communicate with the patients while assessing, planning,
implementing, and evaluating nursing care.
DEFINITION
of communication
Communication
can be defined as the exchange of opinion, ideas, information, facts, feelings,
and values between two or more persons (sender and receiver/s) with the help of
some channels to accomplish the desired purpose.
Vestal (1995) defined
communication as “the exchange of meanings between and among individual through
a shared system of symbols (verbal and nonverbal) that have the same meaning
for both the sender and receiver of the message.”
Murphy and Hildebrandt defined communication as “a process of transmitting and receiving
verbal and non-verbal messages that produce a response.”
Joseph A. Devito mentioned that
“communication refers to the act by one or more persons of sending and
receiving messages that are distorted by noise, occur within a context, have
some effect, and provide some opportunity for feedback.”
Communication
is a cyclic process that involves initiation, transmission, and reception of
information. The reception of information is followed by the feedback, which in
turn can repeat the cycle of communication.
PROCESS,
ELEMENTS, AND CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION
Process of Communication:
Communication
is a cyclic process that starts when the sender feels that there is a need to
communicate with the receiver for a particular reason (purpose).
The
sender creates a message either in the written or in verbal or nonverbal form.
The message is dispatched to the receiver with the help of channels of
communication. The receiver takes the delivery of the message and provides
feedback to the sender. The sender gets the feedback and determines whether the
receiver has received the same message and meaning that the sender had intended
to communicate with him; if the sender feels that the receiver has not received
the same message and meaning, he/she again initiates the cycle of communication.
Elements of
Communication
On the
basis of figure, the elements of communication are as follows:
- Sender
- Message
- Channel of
communication
- Receiver
- Feedback
Sender: The sender is the person
who initiates the process of communication. Whenever the sender feels that
there is a need to communicate some information to the other person (receiver),
he/she starts the process of communication. The sender must be aware of the
purpose of the communication and the receiver's abilities to understand the
message in terms of language, interest, etc.
Message: The message is created by
the sender to convey the information, facts or opinion to the receiver. The
message should be clear and simple so that the receiver can understand it in
the same way as the sender desires. While creating a message, the sender should
take care of words, language, and meaning of the message if the message is to
be communicated in verbal or written form or he/she should take care of body
language and facial expression if the message is to be communicated in
nonverbal form, along with the abilities and professional competencies of the
receiver.
Channels of communication: Communication channels are the medium through which the message is
communicated to the receiver. Channels of communication play an important role
in the process of communication. If the sender selects an appropriate medium or
channel of communication, there are more chances that the receiver will receive
the same message; or else, there are chances that the message may get
distorted. In this hi-tech era, there are a number of channels that can be used
to communicate message, e.g., mobile, e-mail, voice mail, person, radio, TV,
Internet, blogs, etc. “Through proper channel” is a common phrase used among
the nurse administrators/managers that signifies the importance of
communication channels. For example, a student of B.Sc nursing, II year, wants
to communicate hostel problems to the director of the institute. In order to
reach to the intended receiver first, he/she should communicate his/her message
in the form of written application to the class teacher; the class teacher will
forward the application (message) to the principal and finally the principal
will forward the application to the director. That is how communication through
proper channel takes place. In this case, the class teacher and principal were
the channels of communication through which the message was communicated to the
receiver (director).
Receiver: The receiver is the person who receives the message. The receiver
may be a single person or a group of persons. The receiver understands the
meaning of the message and provides feedback to the sender. The receiver should
have the same language ability, comprehension, and cultural background as the
sender. If not, it may lead to distorted understanding of the meaning of the
message by the receiver.
Feedback: It is the most crucial
element of communication. It is provided by the receiver to the sender.
Receiving feedback is important for the sender to know that the receiver has
received the message and interpreted the meaning of the message in the desired
way. Without feedback, the process of communication cannot be complete. For
example, when you send a mobile SMS to your friend, you get feedback in the
form of delivery report that informs you
whether your message has been delivered or not to the intended receiver; it
also happens in the same way in the case of e-mail.
TYPES
OF COMMUNICATION
Communication
may be of different types depending upon the context in which the term
communication is used. The important types of communication are shown in
figure.
Verbal Communication
When
the sender conveys information, facts, and opinion either verbally or in
writing to the receiver using different channels of communication, it is known
as verbal communication. The sender should select appropriate words and
language to communicate the message to the receiver. Figure highlights the
guidelines that should be followed to make the verbal communication effective.
Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal
communication takes place without the use of words. Nonverbal communication
involves the unconscious mind acting out emotions related to the verbal
content, the situation, and the environment. The sender uses the body language,
facial expression, hand movements, eye movements, etc. to convey the feelings,
emotions, and other information to the receiver. This type of the communication
can be useful when both the sender and the receiver don’t have an understanding
of a common language. This technique of communication is especially useful when
you are dealing with a client who is deaf and dumb.
The interesting fact
about nonverbal communication is that it reflects a more accurate description
of one's true feelings because nonverbal reactions cannot be controlled easily
by the people. Nonverbal communication may include:
§ Vocal cues
§ Gestures
§ Posture
§ Physical appearance
§ Distance or spatial territory
§ Position or posture
§ Touch
§ Facial expression
Meta Communication
Meta
communication is an important and useful tool for the effective interpersonal
interaction. It is “communication about communication” so that the deeper
“message within a message” can be uncovered and understood (Wood, 1999). This
type of method is useful among a group of experts in a particular area.
Formal Communication
Formal
communication is a type of communication which is used in the context of
organization where a large group of employees work together to accomplish goals
of organization. Formal communications usually take place in the form of
written communication, which follows the lines of authority or scalar chain of
command.
Informal
Communication
Informal
communication refers to the gossip or informal talks that take place among the
various groups of people working in an organization that don’t follow
organizational line of authority or hierarchy.
Therapeutic Communication
Therapeutic
communication is a type of communication that takes place in the health care
environment between nurse and patient. Therapeutic communications is a planned,
deliberate, and professional act that uses communication techniques to achieve
a positive relationship and shared understanding of information for the desired
patient-care goals. The purpose of therapeutic communication is to explore the
client's problems, planning the interventions along with the client and
implementing these interventions. During therapeutic communication, the nurse
encourages the client to communicate fear, anxieties, expectations, and
self-care deficit needs. The nurse uses special techniques while engaging in
the therapeutic communication with the client, e.g., active listening, asking
open-ended questions, paraphrasing, etc.
