P 3 – explain factors that influence communication and interpersonal interactions in health and social care
Environmental
Lighting – Appropriate lighting is needed for effective communication as whilst communicating in any way you need to be able to see to communicate properly. Not enough lighting or too much lighting can provide barrier to communication.
Heating – To communicate effectively you need to be at the right temperature, being too hot or too cold may produce a barrier to communication as when you’re too hot or too cold it makes it harder to communicate.
Noise – Too much noise whilst trying to communicate is a problem when trying to communicate effectively. If there is too much noise in the background you may not be able to communicate with the other person, they may not be able to hear you and you may not be able to hear them.
Space – not enough space noise whilst trying to communicate is a problem when trying to communicate effectively. If there is not enough space the other person can’t see you and a big part of communicating affectively is reading the expressions and body language.
Barrier – is something that stops effective communication. These can be such things as language, dialects, speech impediments and hearing difficulties.
If someone who doesn’t speak English or they can’t speak it well is a barrier when trying to effectively communicate with someone as they will have difficulty understanding and replying and the other person may have difficulty interpreting what they are trying to say. This will affect health and social care as if someone working in a health and social care setting is trying to communicate with a resident from a different origin as they won’t be able to cater to any wants and needs as they can’t understand or respond in a way that they’d understand.
Dialects are a big factor on how effectively people communicate with each other. For example two people who perhaps come from the same place and have the same dialect will be able to understand each other perfectly if no other factors are involved, but if it was two people from different regions they may have problems understanding therefore effective communication is not achieved. Whilst in a care sector it is important that the professional that they can be completely understood. It may be needed that someone of a different ethnic cultural background or a translator is used.
Jargon has a great impact on the way someone communicates with another. For example people who are from different regions, county or city’s may use a different type of jargon to communicate but if they then try to use that jargon to communicate with someone from another different region there may be problems with understanding what is being said. Within a care setting it is crucial that the professional ensure that the language or any jargon they use is understood and that it is clear of the meaning, so jargon needs to be either not used or altered to communicate in a professional manor effectively.
P 4 - Explain strategies used in health and social care