Effective Communication Techniques for Healthcare Professionals

Effective Communication in Healthcare

Understanding Personal Space

Public Distance

This is the distance used when greeting all patients in a room, for example, from the doorway.

Personal Distance

This is the distance used at the bedside. It allows for soft, personal, or private conversations and may involve physical contact.

Intimate Distance

This is the distance used for direct nursing care, such as washing or changing clothes.

The Role of Paralanguage

Paralanguage includes non-verbal vocal cues that affect meaning. Key components are:

• The tone of voice
• The speed of speech
• Sounds that reflect emotional states (e.g., sighs, deep breaths, laughter, tears, sudden interruptions)
• The use of silences

Essential Skills for Healthcare Professionals

To improve communication with patients, healthcare personnel should develop the following qualities:

• Assertive Communication: Develop social skills by practicing an assertive communication style.
• Empathy: Be empathetic and actively work on developing empathy.
• Sense of Humor: Cultivate a sense of humor where appropriate.
• Gratitude: Learn to express thanks.
• Praise: Learn to commend and give praise.
• Cooperation: Know how to ask for a favor or cooperation.
• Boundaries: Learn to say "no" when necessary.
• Active Listening: Practice active listening skills.
• Apologizing: Learn how to apologize sincerely.
• Agreement: Learn to find common ground and agree.
• Resilience: Learn how to respond to failure constructively.

Assertiveness is about expressing what you truly feel and believe is fair, without harming or disrespecting others.

Communication Styles

Submissive or Inhibited Style

This person does not express their true feelings and opinions. They quickly accept the criteria, arguments, and decisions of others for fear of confrontation or hurting another person. This style is characterized by:

• Avoiding eye contact
• Low voice volume
• Hesitation and slow speech
• Lack of gestures
• A slumped posture

Aggressive Style

This person does not respect the feelings and opinions of others. They often express themselves in an accusatory and intimidating manner, trying to make others feel guilty. This style is characterized by:

• An intense, fixed gaze
• Excessively high voice volume
• An intimidating stance
• Threatening gestures

Assertive Style

This person defends their own rights and opinions while respecting those of others. They clearly express their thoughts and feelings, ask for clarification on things they don't understand, and say "no" when they mean it. The assertive style is characterized by:

• Appropriate eye contact
• A voice volume sufficient to be heard
• An upright posture
• Relaxed hand gestures

The Importance of Empathy

Empathy is the ability to truly understand and share the feelings of another person, which is crucial in a healthcare setting.

Therapeutic Communication and Helping Relationships

This form of communication is initiated to help a patient, their relatives, or friends find solutions to their problems. A therapeutic relationship should strengthen the following types of support:

Informal Support Relationship

• It is established spontaneously, according to the needs of the moment.
• This support is prompt and temporary.
• It is essential to reassure the patient, let them speak, and show that you understand.

Formal Support Relationship

• It is planned by the healthcare team based on observations and discussions with the patient and/or their family.
• This relationship is not easy to build and is not achieved through a single intervention. It develops gradually over time.