How to Overcome Communication Barriers PDF

How to Overcome the Barriers to Communication Dr. Srwa Rostam Communication Skills Fall Semester/Week 3 2024-2025  To Overcome Listening Barriers 1. Stop Focus on the other person, their thoughts and feelings. Consciously focus on quieting your own internal co...

How to Overcome the Barriers to Communication Dr. Srwa Rostam Communication Skills Fall Semester/Week 3 2024-2025  To Overcome Listening Barriers 1. Stop Focus on the other person, their thoughts and feelings. Consciously focus on quieting your own internal commentary, and step away from your own concerns to think about those of the speaker. Give your full attention to the speaker. Pay attention to non-verbal messages, without letting yourself be distracted. Notice body language and non- verbal cues to allow for a richer understanding of the speaker’s point. However, avoid getting distracted from the verbal message.  3. Listen Listen for the essence of the speaker’s thoughts: details, major ideas and their meanings. Seek an overall understanding of what the speaker is trying to communicate, rather than reacting to the individual words or terms that they use to express themselves.  4. Be empathetic Imagine how you would feel in their circumstances. Be empathetic to the feelings of the speaker, while maintaining a calm centre within yourself.  5.Ask questions Use questions to clarify your understanding, as well as to demonstrate interest in what is being said. Ways to Overcome Perception Related Barriers Overcome perception barriers: Analyse your own perceptions. Observe carefully and attentively. Interpret consciously. Focus on others.  1.Analyse your own perceptions Question your perceptions and think about how they are formed. Check in with others around you regularly and be aware of assumptions that you are making. Seek additional information and observations. You may just need to ask people if your perceptions are accurate.  2.Observe carefully and attentively Look for detail, but keep the bigger picture in mind. For instance, it is important not to ignore or gloss-over the details of a situation or the subtle aspects of a person. However, it is important to see any one moment as part of a larger context. People have lives outside of work, for example, and any small part of a project ultimately is linked to a system much larger than itself. 3.Interpret consciously Recognize the meanings you attach to what you perceive, and know that not everyone will attach the same meanings to the same things or situations. Ask yourself why you associate those meanings with what you do  4.Focus on others Develop your ability to focus on other people, and understand them better by trying to gather knowledge about them, listening to them actively, and imagining how you would feel in their situation. Work on improving your perception Increase your awareness of barriers to perception, and which ones you tend towards. Seek honest, constructive feedback from others regarding their perceptions of you as a means of increasing yourself awareness.  Professional Communication Professional communication is an important part of becoming a nurse and being a nursing student. You are entering a “profession” which means there are certain expectations in terms of your professional conduct specifically in terms of how you communicate.  Professional Communication Professional communication involves a level of formality and is an important component of nursing education. It is different than the informal communication between friends and family. It also applies to verbal and written communication including emails.  The principles of professional communication include being 1. Truthful 2. Accurate 3. clear 4. and both concise and comprehensive. For example, you should say or write something in a short way while also including all relevant information. You should also have a professional tone that is conveyed through appropriate greetings, complete sentences, and grammar. Tips to follow in terms of professional communication: Introduce yourself fully by name, role and institution , such as: “I am Mateo Reyes, a year one nursing student from Toronto Metropolitan University.  Address the person you are speaking to formally. Also, do not assume the gender or pronouns of the person you are speaking to. For example, you should avoid using terms such as “miss,” “ma’am,” “sir,” “mister,” etc., until you know how the recipient wants to be addressed. If you are uncertain, introduce yourself fully and ask how the recipient would like to be addressed and what pronouns they use Clearly articulate your message Speak in full sentences. (what you are trying to say). Be polite. Your communication is a reflection of YOU and your Be honest. professionalism.  Because a lot of communication occurs electronically, it is important to consider how to construct an email. Here are some tips: Tips continued, Use a professional email address. At most universities, email communication with a professor should originate from the university email. Begin with a clear description in the subject line. For example, students should include the course code in the subjective line and a brief description identifying the reason for the email (e.g., “NUR 54: question regarding week 3 quiz”). Use a professional email greeting and salutation to address professor, or the salutation preferred by the professor  Appropriate: “Dear Professor Dodge” or “Hello, Dr. Chen.” Inappropriate: “Hey teacher”, “Hi”, or “Yo.” Introduce yourself so that the email recipient knows who you are. Remember, professors teach several courses and course sections. Thus, you might say “I am Minta Li. I am a student in your Wednesday section of NUR 678.”  Additionally, you may need to consider including your student number in an email when you introduce yourself. This is particularly when inquiring about course issues, grades, or program status in order to clearly identify yourself as student names can be similar. Refer to any attachments in the email text