Nursing Communication

Communication, particularly in a global economy is critical to success. Communication allows individuals to discuss ideas and notions in a common language and format. It allows for the exchange of ideas that can ultimately help improve the well being of an individual, a company, or society overall. The healthcare industry is no different in this regard. In fact communication is paramount to the success of the industry overall. Management must be able to properly disseminate information to subordinates to drive both profitability and service.

Subordinates must be able to freely communicate findings or ideas that can help improve the healthcare facility overall. Management must be able to listen to recommendation to guide the overall direction of the healthcare firm. As such, communication skills are a key competency for a nurse manager. To achieve better communication skills one must first practice communicating. It is through this practice that I personally developed my communication skills. Research has shown that properly communication skills can be learned through practice and training.

I joined Toast Masters, a professional public speaking organization that focuses on delivery and content within a message. I attended meetings regularly to help supplement my learning at work. What I found interesting about my professional study was that communication skills have applications in other fields outside of work. For example, when talking to subordinates about their own personal lives, I was better able to listen. Even when discussing new thoughts or ideas, I was able to better articulate my vision through practice.

Another method I utilized to help improve my communication skills was reading and direct observations. A large part of communication is non-verbal in nature. Many individuals communicate with their bodies and gestures more than actual works. For example many individuals when they are worried or depressed tend to look down at the ground. They also tend to slouch when they sit. Their tone of voice is also very crackly and inconsistent. I learned this through direct observation of body language within the work environment.

The healthcare environment, by virtue of its work requirements, is very stressful. Many individuals see death and sickness on a daily basis. Media attention to health issues such as Ebola and Anthrax further exacerbate the stress levels within the facility. As a manager, I have developed more "emotional intelligence" to help identify non-verbal communication cues. I now find myself looking for body language and tone of voice to help direct the manner in which I communicate.

In many instances, if I believe a person is stressed due to work, I won't mention work related aspects to the individual. Instead I will focus on general concepts such as sports or a person's family that may cause them to forget the stressful job environment. When witnessing interaction, I can also determine how a person feels through tone of voice. Tone of voice is a critical communication skill that is often overlooked by nurse managers.

A very common example is the heightened tone used by people who are very angry. Angry individuals tend to yell or use convoluted sentences that do not go well with each other. I have adapted my personal communication skills to properly combat this high tone of voice. For example, research has shown that lowing your voice while another individual is yelling helps to calm the individual down. I have personally used this technique to properly communicate with both patients and subordinates who are angry.

Finally, electronic communication is now becoming more prominent in society. Electronic.