The factors to consider when promoting effective communication

When promoting effective communication you need to consider numerous factors for example for verbal communication: Consider the tone and pitch of your voice; does it suit the situation or topic? A louder more direct voice maybe required if trying to get the attention of a group of children to come back inside. However this would not be suitable in a situation where a child is upset for example if they have wet themselves and are embarrassed, this would need a quieter and understanding tone to reassure them. Furthermore your use of language is important, as when talking to children you need to keep things simple than if you were talking to an adult, however if your talking to an adult using very simple instructions this may be deemed as patronising, so it is important to choose your language carefully. The speed in which you talk is also essential.

For example when talking to children get down to their level and talk to them at a relatively slow speed, this way they are more likely to understand you better. In addition to this for non-verbal communication you may need to consider: Facial and hand gestures, again this needs to be appropriate to the situation or topic. for example a smile may show you understand and that you are listening. Whereas frowning and waving arms as if annoyed would be negative to the feelings of the child. Eye contact is an important factor as this engages the child or adult, keeping them focused on what you are discussing. By making eye contact you are directing your conversation at that specific person, demonstrating that you are devoting your time and are not able to be distracted as if you would by looking around. Also it shows that you are listening and it shows respect because of this.

Your body language plays an important part in effective communication, for example folded arms can indicate you are being defensive or not open to suggestions, also slouching, hands on hips, rolling of eyes and huffing can seem rude and disrespectful. Whereas enthusiastic body language can show that you are happy and in result of this it may leave others feeling the same way. Moving on communication can be slightly different when using it with other people from different backgrounds. Communication can be interpreted in different ways by different people, this is because they may not speak English, if from a different country, or they may not understand you. This is also a communication barrier. People from other backgrounds may use verbal communication to express what they think, however they could also use non-verbal communication to put their point across.

A parent/carer of a child may have other preferences for their child to other parents/carers. This means the practitioner will have to respect these. Communication can be used in many different ways by using different methods. Children from different backgrounds can communicate by doing what they like best for example through an activity that they enjoy. Children could use body language and facial expressions to express their needs. Practitioners may use gestures and body language to show the parents/carers that they are always friendly and can be relied on. Different backgrounds of different people can cause misunderstandings when using communication. However, they will be able to interpret the communication they’re using by using hand gestures, facial expressions or maybe body language.

People from different backgrounds may speak a different language and may only know a few English words therefore taking that in to consideration you could learn a few words of their language so that you can greet them when they come in so that they feel valued or you could bring a translator in so that they can translate what you say and vice versa. You could use pictures to communicate for example taking pictures of their child throughout the day so that they can see what their child has done. In conclusion it is important that we value other people feeling when we are communicating with them some people may not want to use eye contact this may because they are shy so therefore we have to respect that. Also it is important that we understand that people who do come from different background may communicate differently and again we have to take this in to consideration and find ways around it in order to be able to communicate to this person so that you’re able to say what you want.