The Importance Of Human Communication

Communication is usually taken for granted in our every day to day living as we use it without thought. Good communication skills are needed in the workplace and especially with nursing staff to and from patients when giving first hand care. Good or bad communication can make there experience within the health care setting a positive or negative one and can leave a lasting impression. A good health care provider can use there communication skills to put a patient at ease with a few comforting words or gestures, a lack of positive communication in the health care setting could leave the patient feeling neglected, ignored and not valued as a patient.

Communication is the interaction between individuals that allows us to deliver and receive information, thoughts and feelings. Communication can be seen to have three components: verbal (spoken words), non-verbal (body language) and paralinguistic (tone and pitch of spoken words) (Mehrabian 1981). This shows the complexity of communication in that variance in one ‘component’ could potentially alter or distort the desired meaning being conveyed to the recipient. Similarly Arnold, Undermann Bogss (2015) states that communication could be seen to be a combination of verbal and non-verbal actions being used in unison to exchange and strengthen ideas or share life experiences through means of posture, spoken words or personal symbolism.

Arnold E (1999). Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication Skills for Nursing. 3rd Edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Company.

Why is teaching Social Communication important? Social Communication is the basis of how humans interact with each other. Without social skills, the ability to build relationships with others would not exist. Being a social outlet for children, school offers students a unique opportunity to practice their social skills, but for students who struggle, school can have a negative impact on their academic success (Ostmeyer and Scarpa, 2012). In School there is a presumed set of skills that students are required to learn and follow. Some of these skills that teachers find essential are listening to others, following steps, staying calm, taking responsibility for one’s behavior and doing nice things for others. To many, these skills may require a little thought, but to children with social deficits, these skills could be a continuous obstacle. “Thus, an environment that necessitates social communication as a method of learning could lead to academic underperformance” (Ostmeyer, Scarpa, 2012, pp. 933).

People communicate in different ways to help social interaction. Communication is not just though words it can also be though touch, facial expressions and body movement as well as written electronic messages.

Communication in the nursing professional is complicated process and the possibility of sending or receiving incorrect messages frequently exists. It is essential that we know the key components of the communication process, how to improve our skills, and the potential problems that exist with errors in communication. Good communication skills should be considered a basic requirement for any person irrespective of the profession the person is engaged in. Communication helps a person to relate well with the people he is interacting with. The nursing profession is not an exception since a nurse should use good communication skills to be

Interpersonal communication is a multidimensional relational vehicle used to promote shared understanding, build community engagement, problem solve collectively, influence decision making, and develop a realization of self-awareness. It is a fundamental element deeply embedded in the social construct of our existence and is defined as part of the interactive process by which information, feelings and thoughts are exchanged between individuals. This exchange of information is inescapable as we are constantly involved in transmitting and interpreting verbal and non-verbal cues between each other simultaneously every day. Even in our perceived exhibition of momentary objective silence, we are still communicating through non-verbal expressions.

Communication is everywhere. We, as interactive human beings, spend the majority of our time corresponding with others to satisfy our physical, identity, social, and practical needs (Adler, Rodman, & Sevigny, 2011). Often, this is consciously done; we search our minds for the accurate linguistic means to express our experiences, and use them to communicate with those around us. However, communication is not as straightforward and effortless as we may believe. It is, in fact, often unintentional, with 65% of it occurring as a result of non-verbal cues (Matsumoto, Shibata, Seiji, Mori, & Shioe, 2010). As mentioned by Marta Dynel (2011) in a study done on nonverbal communication, “Non verbal signs and signals ... are prevalent practically in

Peate, I. (2009) ‘Communication and interpersonal skills for NursesCommunication and interpersonal skills for nurses’, Nursing Standard, 24(14), pp. 30–30. doi: 10.7748/ns2009.12.24.14.30.b995.

Have you ever taken into consideration how your intrapersonal communication has an impact on your interpersonal communication? Our interpersonal communication is communication that strives us to create and maintain relationships with others in our life. My interpersonal communication is solely based on my self-concept, self-image, how I perceive myself, my bad and good qualities, and my non-verbal communication.

The spoken language, while endlessly useful, is only a recent invention in comparison to body language. Dr. Albert Mehrabian’s often quoted study found that 7% of a message is conveyed through words, 38% through vocal elements, and 55% through nonverbal elements. While these statistics and their meanings may not be so straightforward, the overall take away is clear; nonverbal communication heavily affects the way we receive and transmit messages.

Arnold, E. C., & Boggs, K. U. (2011). Interpersonal relationships: Professional communication skills for Nurses (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders.

Many people refer to their strong communication skills, but communication is really a competency that relies on a combination of certain skills, behavior and knowledge. To communicate effectively a person may need to understand cultural diversity, have advanced language skills, and behave with patience. Interpersonal communication is essential in every area of life, but it especially critical in the field of nursing. Nurses are responsible for understanding and for being understood. They are required to both listen carefully and report information accurately and efficiently. Effective communication skills in nursing

Communication is the process of gathering meaning from the world around us and using verbal and non-verbal messages to share this meaning with others. (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2005) More specifically, interpersonal communication can be defined as; “a distinctive, transactual form of human communication involving mutual influence, usually for the purpose of managing relation ships.” (Beebe, Beebe, and Redmond, 2005, p. 6) Interpersonal communication is extremely complex and encompasses many different themes and issues that affect many aspects of our daily lives. These

Communication is a polysemy. Language, symbols, and objects are mediums of communicating. Language conveys the thoughts, feelings, and interests of the speaker. Vernacular can be formal or informal. The audience is a factor when communicating. We need to ask ourselves, “How will my audience best understand my message”? Being able to converse with others is a wonderful occurrence, however, one’s speech can be misconstrued. Words can have multiple meanings, and confusion can arise. How an individual conveys the words can alter their meaning. Tone, or how one conveys the words, is crucial. Did your emotions coincide with the words you spoke? Words have consequences. The words that escape from our mouth can have a negative or positive impact. How one speaks, not only influences the receiver, but it also reveals something about the sender. Communication may not entail vocal projection. “Communication involves nonverbal messages, which include touch, facial expressions, eye behavior, body posture, and