Communication skills in a group interaction Essay

Communication is one of the most imperative things of being a human being. If we were not able to communicate, we would not be able to interact with others; therefore we would most likely be unsuccessful in leading our lives to their full potential. There are two types of communication, which are verbal and non verbal. So we can use our voice along with non verbal communication like your eyes, gestures and voice tone to name a few. Everything that we do can give off a positive or negative vibe about yourself, which could potentially enhance or worsen communication. LOOKING AT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION The job of a health and social care worker is to enhance the quality of people’s lives. They must allow the clients to be in control and independent. This is why it is imperative that care workers are aware of what demands the clients have on them, and the appropriate communication skills they need to use to improve their life. Abraham Maslow theory which said ‘the goal of ones life was person growth’ would show that everyone should aim to develop their own ability and potential. However, before this stage can take place there are such things which need to be taken into account, the main thing would be ‘deficiency needs’. see more:explain how distress may affect the way an individual communicates These have been put into a pyramid which is shown below: It is important for any health and social worker to posses certain vital skills. They need to understand how important it is to communicate and interact with other, along with knowing and understanding their own individual needs. Basically Maslow (1) theory is explaining how an individual person should strive to develop their individual ability and potential. Before the individual can develop their own potential the levels in the pyramid will need to be met. This deficiency needs play a role in fulfilling individual needs, and it is therefore it is imperative that social and health workers are fully aware of these deficiency needs. Communication that takes place in an early years setting has to that of a high standard to enhance the potential of the clients, especially when working with children because they tend to pick up on things much easier. Therefore teachers need to be trained, so they are fully aware of all their communication skills they use, this even means from the way they dress to the manner in which they speak to the children. Everything has to be adapted to the client’s level, like the manner in which they talk. Usually they would talk with some degree of difficult language; however they simply cannot talk to the children how they would a fellow member of staff. They constantly need to change from one role to another, and they need to make sure that this does not become mixed up. COMMUNICATION WITHIN A GROUP SITUATION Communication skills within a group interaction are just as imperative as communication on a one to one basis. A set of people in today’s language is considered as a ‘group’. A member of a group may posses the sense of belonging and this gives the members of a particular group and ‘group feeling’. This group feeling is sometimes known and described as a group identity. This occurs in a caring, or working situation where people belong together and would identify the as belonging in a group. There are two types of groups, primary and secondary, which have been identified by social scientists. The is thought that a primary group of people are that of people who know each other and feel that they belong together while as the secondary group is people who only have something in common. A primary group in care tend to share the subsequent features; Some groups require a lot of team leadership or effort before they are able to work well together; however there are groups, which naturally come together, and this enables them to work well. There have been many theorists, which have studied the way people start to work together. People need to get to know each other and learn about them before a group can have a sense of belonging. It is also thought that ever group goes through a period in which the group struggles before they unite and work effectively together. One of the well-known theorists in which to explain the stages was that of Tuckman (1965). Tuckman suggests that most groups go through a process involving four stages before they can become effective. (1) * Forming- this is the first stage of group formation. The introductory stage is most likely to happen when group members first get together. There may be some people who are unsure of the reasons why they are attending the meeting and the purpose of the group may not be clear and at times prejudice and stereotyping may occur and be expressed within this stage. Storming – within the group a ‘power struggle’ may occur, this is where individuals will contest against each other for the role of leader of the group. Arguments may occur over how the group should work, who should perform certain tasks. Some groups can fail within stage two or individuals within this group may decide to leave as the do not feel comfortable within the group. Within a working group, this can occur and staff will sometimes refuse to communicate with certain members of the group, this is known as group storming. Norming – common beliefs or norms can be developed within the group at this stage. People are now beginning to trust each other more and have now developed clear roles for each other. Norms are the shared expectations of the group on one another. These norms enable the group to be able to work together. * Performing – the group can now start to perform well because the group shares the same values and norms. People may feel that they are comfortable and belong to the group, and the group morale may be high, which contributes positively to the group. GROUP SEATING PLANS: Sometimes it is noticeable on the way in which the group sits are stands to whether it is in it ‘performing stage’ or it is working as a successful interaction as a group. If you are working within a group discussion it is imperative that all the participants of that interaction are made aware of one another and they can see and hear all the other participants. This is why the circle is one of the favourable seating patterns because all the participants’ faces can be seen in this structure and the body language is clearer. This can help to promote the interaction and skills used within the communication. Being seated within a circle may sometimes suggest to the participants that everyone is equal to each other. However there are many other seating patterns which can be structured in a way to suit specific interactions. For example a carer or teacher may like to sit within the circle half way, or in the front of a half circle. This will give out the message that all of the participants are equal however the carer or teacher will be taking the lead role of the interaction. MY GROUP INTERACTION: Where my interaction took place: For my group communication, I have decided to revisit my school which I had previously looked at whilst doing communication skills within an early year setting. My school that I will be revisiting is Buxton County Primary school. I would like to do my group communication with class 2 because I feel that it is an appropriate task to do with them, although I think that reception class is a bit too young. My interaction took place with 6 pupils, within class time. I decided to make Thank you cards with them, because it was just after Christmas and I feel that this task is suitable. Purpose of my interaction: The purpose of my group interaction with the group was to promote interaction between the pupils and also with the members of the group. I am also looking to show an observer some of the communication skills I have learnt, and also to show that they are valuable and in a group situation, successful. The group were working together to produce Thank you cards for their family, and sharing their ideas to help others. I wanted the children to be able to help each other to make the cards and choosing the individual materials, which were needed to make their cards. I also would like to make this a fun activity for the children, in which they will get some learning experience out of too. I am also hoping that the pupils will be willing to ask me questions about the activity and that I will be able to give sufficient answers. Mrs Paterson (the classroom teacher) decided to choose five pupils in which I was going to work on my selected activity with. Mrs Paterson said that she chose children which she knew had previously worked together, and have been successful in interacting with each other. I think that this would be quite helpful for me because there was a smaller likelihood of misbehaving in the interaction. Setting and layout: My interaction took place within the year 2 classroom at Buxton Primary School. I decided to do it within class time, so there were no irregularities to the children’s timetable. The classroom was brightly coloured, with lots of pictures, posters, art work, cards and writing the children had done themselves.