A & E: A Model Of The Communication Process
A model of the communication process
Meetings as Oral (verbal) communication need in A&E
As a department we have monthly staff meetings. These are held the first Thursday of every month. They are an hour long running from 07:00hrs. They are usually chaired by the matron with support from senior nursing staff. In reference to the communication process the sender is the matron or any of the speakers present. The channel is the words or information said, this can be supported with handouts. The receiver is the staff present at the meeting. The objective of the meetings is to give staff updates on any changes, or rely any vital information and also to allow staff to pass or share information with colleagues.
The advantages to meetings …show more content…
are :
They are interactive. Great for instant feedback as staff are given time to feedback within the meeting.
Same information is given at same time which is fair and avoids Chinese whisper type of cascading information.
The chairperson(sender) can verify if the staff(receivers) all understand instantly.
The disadvantages to meetings are:
Not all staff attend and for those that do they do not all make the 07:00hrs start as it out of working hours.
There is no guarantee the ones present are engaged/actively listening all through the meeting.
Some staff may shy away from expressing themselves openly in presence of everyone.
Potentially high distortion from group chats within meeting, background noises( patient monitoring equipment, air conditioners) as its head within open department.
Noticeboards as written communication need in A&E
As a department with a staff number of at least 200 and working shift rota hours, it's practically impossible to gather them all in one meeting to rely vital information.
So we have dedicated staff notice boards which are strategically placed within staffing areas(staff room and by the handover base). I utilise these to post updates on posters in clear large text font making then short and to the point. I ensure the posters are clearly identifiable by the intended target group by head marking them Nursing / medical / administration or All staff. I update these weekly to ensure only relevant information is on display. In reference to the communication process the sender in this case can be anyone with information to be displayed. The channel the Noticeboards plus the poster with receivers being the intended target …show more content…
staff.
Advantages of Noticeboard/ poster:
Gives visual.
Clear and conscience (one page front).
Quick to read.
Are placed in areas which ensure staff will see and read them.
There is reference to return to,or to send fellow colleagues were in doubt or not clear.
Disadvantages to Noticeboard/posters:
No guarantee or confirmation of receipt (unless a sign confirmation attached with it).
Can be misplaced before all get to see it( ripped off, drop off ).
No instant feedback.
Risk information being lost in translation.
Barriers to communication
The biggest barriers to communication within our monthly staff meetings are staff not engaging, not actively listening or misunderstanding the information relied and staff not attending the meeting. In view of all the three the sender's message does not get to the intended receiver. To overcome each and all of them we need a minute taker in each meeting to keep record of all discussions. We then have to ensure they are typed out and emailed to all staff with a receipt and read confirmation flag. Key points are to be highlighted and to be top of list in minutes to ensure staff read these prior to the any other business stuff. As emails can be a barrier to communication itself as some staff have no access to emails or do not access emails regularly, we can have hard copies in clinical and staff areas with signatory sheet on Noticeboard. Get IT department to set up email accounts for those who don't have and get staff attend IT basic skills training as required. To overcome the lack of engagement by staff by suggest loosing a set agenda(open & interactive) that way you get staff out of their comfort zone of just sitting in and hearing and not actively listening. But if we are to adhere to agenda get staff to contribute to the agenda, make them aware what's included in the agenda prior to meeting. This way they can think what will be discussed and how they will contribute to the meeting. To overcome the understanding, make use of visual aids(bar charts graphs or handouts) and allow time for open questions to assist in clarifying points.
As non verbal communication strongly influences the receiver's listening, with 55% based on visual impressions only.I was more aware of this when I assisted in chairing the monthly staff meetings.
To ensure equally distributed attention and eye contact to the large group in the meeting I utilised the horse shoe sitting position for staff with the speaker in the open end centre but close to staff.While addressing the group made use of open posture with sympathetic gestures(smile,open arms)so staff feel involved and free to question or contribute. I ensured I made adequate eye contact with the group which helped in keeping them engaged and I also used this as way of checking for feedback from group by looking out for questioning facial expressions or hand gestures. I utilised momentary pauses between points to ascertain or clarify staff fully understand and also allowing staff to ask or contribute to discussions(demonstrating active listening and feedback). Kept in mind - Positive body language gives positive impressions which reflective confidence therefore adding accurate signals to the spoken
word.
Information awareness in the A&E department
As a very busy and large department we try and utilises many ways to channel information to and between staff but very governed by the purpose of information.
We have the simple 1:1 handover (incorporates both written and verbal) between staff when changing over patient care, this is short brief but precise to instruction on basis of patient needs.
The intranet, this is trust wide cover policies, guidelines, forms, trust related information and updates, and goals.
The weekly newsletter via email and monthly hard copies which provide all staff with trust changes,achievements and developments.
Posters on Noticeboards around the department for staff (protocols, guides)and public(health promotion).
Leaflets for patients to take home, these assist in explaining patient's condition and after discharge care advice.
Feedback
Communication is only effective when the sender relies a message via a channel to a the receiver who receives and understands and carries out request made by sender. Depending on channel used feedback can be instant,visual or uncertain at times. Feedback can be in form of response, reply, a task being performed, a report or question to verify message. If a doctor writes in patients care plan for them to be weighed, if a nurse weighs and documents the weight it demonstrates effective communication. If email request for staff training record is sent, a reply email with record confirm effective communication.
Meetings as Oral (verbal) communication need in A&E
As a department we have monthly staff meetings. These are held the first Thursday of every month. They are an hour long running from 07:00hrs. They are usually chaired by the matron with support from senior nursing staff. In reference to the communication process the sender is the matron or any of the speakers present. The channel is the words or information said, this can be supported with handouts. The receiver is the staff present at the meeting. The objective of the meetings is to give staff updates on any changes, or rely any vital information and also to allow staff to pass or share information with colleagues.
The advantages to meetings …show more content…
are :
They are interactive. Great for instant feedback as staff are given time to feedback within the meeting.
Same information is given at same time which is fair and avoids Chinese whisper type of cascading information.
The chairperson(sender) can verify if the staff(receivers) all understand instantly.
The disadvantages to meetings are:
Not all staff attend and for those that do they do not all make the 07:00hrs start as it out of working hours.
There is no guarantee the ones present are engaged/actively listening all through the meeting.
Some staff may shy away from expressing themselves openly in presence of everyone.
Potentially high distortion from group chats within meeting, background noises( patient monitoring equipment, air conditioners) as its head within open department.
Noticeboards as written communication need in A&E
As a department with a staff number of at least 200 and working shift rota hours, it's practically impossible to gather them all in one meeting to rely vital information.
So we have dedicated staff notice boards which are strategically placed within staffing areas(staff room and by the handover base). I utilise these to post updates on posters in clear large text font making then short and to the point. I ensure the posters are clearly identifiable by the intended target group by head marking them Nursing / medical / administration or All staff. I update these weekly to ensure only relevant information is on display. In reference to the communication process the sender in this case can be anyone with information to be displayed. The channel the Noticeboards plus the poster with receivers being the intended target …show more content…
staff.
Advantages of Noticeboard/ poster:
Gives visual.
Clear and conscience (one page front).
Quick to read.
Are placed in areas which ensure staff will see and read them.
There is reference to return to,or to send fellow colleagues were in doubt or not clear.
Disadvantages to Noticeboard/posters:
No guarantee or confirmation of receipt (unless a sign confirmation attached with it).
Can be misplaced before all get to see it( ripped off, drop off ).
No instant feedback.
Risk information being lost in translation.
Barriers to communication
The biggest barriers to communication within our monthly staff meetings are staff not engaging, not actively listening or misunderstanding the information relied and staff not attending the meeting. In view of all the three the sender's message does not get to the intended receiver. To overcome each and all of them we need a minute taker in each meeting to keep record of all discussions. We then have to ensure they are typed out and emailed to all staff with a receipt and read confirmation flag. Key points are to be highlighted and to be top of list in minutes to ensure staff read these prior to the any other business stuff. As emails can be a barrier to communication itself as some staff have no access to emails or do not access emails regularly, we can have hard copies in clinical and staff areas with signatory sheet on Noticeboard. Get IT department to set up email accounts for those who don't have and get staff attend IT basic skills training as required. To overcome the lack of engagement by staff by suggest loosing a set agenda(open & interactive) that way you get staff out of their comfort zone of just sitting in and hearing and not actively listening. But if we are to adhere to agenda get staff to contribute to the agenda, make them aware what's included in the agenda prior to meeting. This way they can think what will be discussed and how they will contribute to the meeting. To overcome the understanding, make use of visual aids(bar charts graphs or handouts) and allow time for open questions to assist in clarifying points.
As non verbal communication strongly influences the receiver's listening, with 55% based on visual impressions only.I was more aware of this when I assisted in chairing the monthly staff meetings.
To ensure equally distributed attention and eye contact to the large group in the meeting I utilised the horse shoe sitting position for staff with the speaker in the open end centre but close to staff.While addressing the group made use of open posture with sympathetic gestures(smile,open arms)so staff feel involved and free to question or contribute. I ensured I made adequate eye contact with the group which helped in keeping them engaged and I also used this as way of checking for feedback from group by looking out for questioning facial expressions or hand gestures. I utilised momentary pauses between points to ascertain or clarify staff fully understand and also allowing staff to ask or contribute to discussions(demonstrating active listening and feedback). Kept in mind - Positive body language gives positive impressions which reflective confidence therefore adding accurate signals to the spoken
word.
Information awareness in the A&E department
As a very busy and large department we try and utilises many ways to channel information to and between staff but very governed by the purpose of information.
We have the simple 1:1 handover (incorporates both written and verbal) between staff when changing over patient care, this is short brief but precise to instruction on basis of patient needs.
The intranet, this is trust wide cover policies, guidelines, forms, trust related information and updates, and goals.
The weekly newsletter via email and monthly hard copies which provide all staff with trust changes,achievements and developments.
Posters on Noticeboards around the department for staff (protocols, guides)and public(health promotion).
Leaflets for patients to take home, these assist in explaining patient's condition and after discharge care advice.
Feedback
Communication is only effective when the sender relies a message via a channel to a the receiver who receives and understands and carries out request made by sender. Depending on channel used feedback can be instant,visual or uncertain at times. Feedback can be in form of response, reply, a task being performed, a report or question to verify message. If a doctor writes in patients care plan for them to be weighed, if a nurse weighs and documents the weight it demonstrates effective communication. If email request for staff training record is sent, a reply email with record confirm effective communication.