MODULE-1
WORKBOOK
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Discovering Your Communication Style
Which Style are You?
Many of the conflicts and misunderstandings that arise between coworkers actually have to do
with differences in communication style. In order to ensure that the messages you're sending are
being interpreted in the manner you intended, learn about the four different communication styles
and how to relate to each one.
1. Which statement do you most agree with?
a. "Everyone should be like me."
b. "You don’t cause a disturbance or controversy."
c. "I have rights and so do others."
2. When you Communicate Are You
a. Close minded
b. Indirect
c. Effective, active listener
3. When you communicate do you
a. Interrupts the conversation
b. Always agree and not speak up
c. Expresses self directly, honestly, and as soon as possible about feelings and wants
4. Is a common Characteristic of you
a. Dominating, bullying
b. Apologetic, self-conscious
c. Open, flexible, versatile
5. Are You
a. Arrogant, sarcastic
b. Allowing others to make decisions for yourself
c. Confident and Trusting of self and others.
6. Do you show this behavior?
a. Puts others down
b. Tries to sit on both sides of the fence to avoid conflict
c. Action-oriented
7. Do others think you
a. Are Bossy and have a Know-it-all attitude
b. Complain instead of taking action and lets others make choices
c. Takes appropriate action toward getting what she wants without denying rights of others
8. Do you frequently in conflict use any of these nonverbal Cues?
a. Points, shakes finger Glares
b. Nods head often; comes across as pleading, sad eyes
c. Open, natural gestures and direct eye contact
9. Is your voice
a. Critical, loud, yelling tone of voice and Fast
b. Low volume, meek, or Fast, when anxious; slow, hesitant, when doubtful
c. Vocal volume appropriate, expressive and varied rate of speech
10. Do you say things like
a. "You must." And "Don't ask why. Just do it."
b. "You should do it." And "I'll try..." and "I can't......"
c. "I choose to..." and "What are my options?"
11. In a confrontation
a. Do you feel that you must win arguments, and do you threaten or attack
b. Are you one who Avoids, ignores, leaves, postpones and agrees externally, while
disagreeing internally
c. Are you one who Negotiates, bargains, trades off, compromises and doesn't let
negative feelings build up
12. Do you often feel
a. Anger, Hostility, Frustration, Impatience
b. Powerlessness, and ignored for good works
c. Enthusiasm, Well being, Even tempered
13. Over time in your relationships with others
a. Do you find them resentful of you and sometimes force them to do your way?
b. Gives up being him or herself and Slowly loses self esteem
c. Increased self-esteem and self-confidence and Others know where they stand.
Scoring:
Count the number of times you chose each letter
__________ A __________ B ____________ C
Which did you choose the most?
If you answered A most of the time, you are mostly Aggressive,
B, mostly Passive and
C Mostly Assertive.
Tips for Good Verbal Communication
1. Cohesion and Clarity :-
Before you start a conversation, type an email or begin a discussion, have in mind what the
purpose of the communication is and what information you hope to obtain as a result.It is about
communicating messages clearly and concisely. Lack of clarity and cohesion can result in poor
decisions and confusion.
2. Confidence
confidence in the voice increases faith in the other person about you that you will follow
through with what you have promised.
Conveying confidence can be something as simple as maintaining eye contact during a
conversation, or using a firm but friendly tone
3.Speed of talking:-
Things that are repetitive for us, we tend to say it fast eg:- receptionist saying the name of the
organization so fast that many a times its just not clear. Speed of talking should always vary
according to your receiver, specially when giving some instructions which are important for
your receiver to know
4.Open mindedness and Respect for ideas expressed
If you respect the ideas and opinions of others, they will be more likely to communicate with
you. People stop communicating when they realize that their opinions, or their point of view is
not considered or respected. Approaching a discussion with an open mind is more likely to
result in a successful outcome.
5.Friendly
Friendly tone always is received well. It conveys warmth and helps developing instant rapport
6.Empathy:-
Just imagine for a second that what is said to someone is said to you instead. How would you
react? How would you feel in a certain situation. This point needs to be considered specially
when you have to give a bad news or negative feedback or point out someone's mistake.
Body Language
What appropriate eye contact means:
$ Focus your eyes on the other person, and gently shift your gaze from their face to another
part of the body, such as gesturing hand or a tapping foot, back to the face and to the eyes.
Occasionally moving your gaze away from the person will reduce the chances of staring and
causing them to feel anxiety or suspicion. Be natural.
$ Avoid feigning eye-contact by fixing your eyes on the other person's forehead.
This behaviour conveys doubt, hostility or insincerity.
$ Try not to look away from the talker for long periods. If you are distracted and turn your gaze
to others or to noises in the environment, the other person may interpret this as lack of
interest in them.
$ Make sure that eye contact does not exceed boundaries to become staring which is often
a sign of hostility or anger and will make the opposite person nervous and tense.
The following postures usually convey interest and understanding:
$ Sitting at a slight angle to the other person. Facing them squarely may be experienced as
too confronting, this is especially so in initial meetings.
$ Uncrossing your arms and legs. Crossed arms, like a desk, can communicate superiority or
defensiveness as well as serving as a barrier.
$ Leaning slightly forward to communicate interest. Slouching or leaning back can indicate
boredom, fatigue or lack of interest.
Tips on a "good" Voice:
$ Pleasant: Voice with a "smile"
$ Warm: Voice should convey kindness and friendliness
$ Soft-spoken: Voice should not be harsh or loud.
$ Distinct: Always speak clearly at a level tone with patients.
.
LISTENING SKILLS
Case Study
Nanda, is a nurse at the XYZ hospital. She is also a student and lives with eight other women in
a women’s hostel. There has been an admission this morning--Pranav, a young high school student,
was in a motor vehicle accident. He has severe brain damage.
Nanda is planning the social gathering for her friends staying in the hostel and is wrapping up last
minute details. She is on her cell phone, walking in the corridor texting her friend when Pranav’s
mother comes along. Nanda has her back to Pranav’s mother, and Pranav's mother has to clear her
throat to get Nanda's attention. Nanda spins around, cell phone still in hand, and says “Oh, sorry,
can I help you?” Pranav’s mother asks which room Pranav has been admitted to and she is
obviously upset and tearful. She starts to say “I can’t believe I am going through this, how could
this possibly be happening to my…”
Before finishing, Nanda’s phone beeps that another text has come in. Nanda looks at the screen,
smiles, and says, “Just a sec, I need to get this.” Pranav’s mother begins to openly weep, and Nanda
says (with her phone still in her hand) “I am so sorry, here are some tissues. Is there something I
can do to help?” Pranav’s mother begins to talk about her son and his accident, obviously needing
to discuss what happened. Nanda puts her hand on Pranav’s mother's shoulder, but continues to
look at her phone frequently and takes her hand off the shoulder just long enough to respond to
another text. At this time, after watching the interaction between Nanda and the distraught mother,
Nanda’s supervisor walks up to the desk and guides Pranav’s mother to a chair in the corridor. The
supervisor then sits with her.
1. What should Nanda have done when Pranav’s mother came up to the desk?
2. Did Nanda do some helpful things?
3. What should the supervisor say to Nanda after Pranav’s mother is calm and has been led
to her son’s room?
4. What kinds of things can Nanda do or practice to become a better listener?
EMPATHY
“Ability to understand a patient’s feelings, understand the situation from the patient’s perspective, and
communicate this understanding to the patient.”
-American Nurses Association
Empathy Scale
Please indicate the extent of your agreement or disagreement.
Please use the following 7-point scale (a higher number on the scale indicates more agreement):
Mark one and only one response for each statement. 1-------2-------3-------4-------5-------6-------7
1. My understanding of how my patients and their families feel influences medical or surgical
treatment........................................................................................................
2. My patients feel better when I understand their feelings. ................................................
3. It is easy for me to view things from my patients' perspectives..................................
4. I consider understanding my patients' body language as important as verbal communication in
caregiver-patient relationships............................................................
5. I have a good sense of humour that I think contributes to a better clinical outcome. .........
6. Because people are different, it is not difficult for me to see things from my patients'
perspectives.....................................................................................................................
7. I try to pay attention to my patients' emotions in history taking or in asking about their physical
health.........................................................................................................
8. Attentiveness to my patients' personal experiences influences treatment outcomes.
........................................................................................................................
9. I try to imagine myself in my patients' shoes when providing care to them. ....................
10. My patients value my understanding of their feelings which is therapeutic in its own
right...............................................................................................................................
11. Patients' illnesses can be cured only by medical or surgical treatment; therefore, emotional ties
to my patients do not have a significant influence on medical or surgical outcomes.
......................................................................................................................
12. Asking patients about what is happening in their personal lives is not helpful in understanding
their physical complaints. .......................................................................
13. I try to understand what is going on in my patients' minds by paying attention to their non-
verbal cues and body language...............................................................................
14. I believe that emotion has no place in the treatment of medical illness. .........................
15. Empathy is a therapeutic skill without which success in treatment is limited. ...............
16. An important component of the relationship with my patients is my understanding of their
emotional status, as well as that of their families...................................................
17. I try to think like my patients in order to render better care. ..........................................
18. I do not allow myself to be influenced by strong personal bonds between my patients and their
family members. .............................................................................................
19. I do not enjoy reading non-medical literature or the arts................................................
20. I believe that empathy is an important therapeutic factor in medical or surgical treatment.
......................................................................................................................
Enter your score- _________________
Case study 1
Juhi is a nurse and handles reception desk in an outpatient pediatric clinic. It is an especially busy
day, and her another colleague has called in sick for the day. A young mother arrives for her 10:30
AM appointment a few minutes late, carrying a very upset, and crying, 4-month-old baby boy.
The mom says “I am so sorry I am a little late; it was hard to get him here. He’s SO sick!” Without
looking up, Juhi sighs heavily and says, “You’re going to have to wait now, three people are ahead
of you.” She turns her chair away from the mother and mumbles, “First, you need to fill out this
new paperwork.” Juhi cannot see that the young mother has started to cry. Juhi hands her the
paperwork, again without looking at her. The mom asks, “Can I have a pen please?” Juhi rolls her
eyes, and searches her drawer for a pen. She hands her the pen as she answers the phone.
Questions:
1. What could Juhi have done to improve the interaction with the mother?
2. What could the mother have said to Juhi to improve the situation?
3. Possible options to express empathy
Case study
Mr. Manish’s father Mr Ajay Singh was admitted to a cancer hospital, in Delhi. Manish was by his father’s
side on a certain night reading his favourite book. I.V. drip was connected to his father. Around 12 AM,
his father indicated that he wanted to go to the toilet. Manish rang the bell. Nurse Sandhya came and
turned off the drip and the patient went to toilet. This happened almost 3 times till 3 AM. Around 3.30
AM Mr. Singh felt like going to toilet again. Manish rang the bell but this time the nurse took some time
to attend the patient, Mr Ajay. Mr Manish said angrily to the nurse “ I have been waiting for last five
minutes, made lots of efforts to call you people but you take your own sweet time to attend the patients…
Do you really care for the patients?”
Note: The nurse was busy attending another patient in a next room hence took some time to attend Mr
Ajay.
1) What are the emotions expressed by Manish?
2) What are the patient’s needs & relative’s needs?
3) Possible options to express empathy:
Things we can do to build empathy in our communication:
Stop talking- always remember that if you are talking then you are not listening. Which shows
more empathy – talking or listening? Listening!!!
Ask questions- shows interest and care
Using ”ah ha” and “umm hmm”- helps encourage communication and sharing
Maintain good eye contact – have you ever talked to someone that never looks at you? Do you
feel like they care about you?
Welcoming body language- Display attentive and welcoming body language
Hand on shoulder or hand
LEARNINGS
A. My overall learnings from the program (which I will be practicing to enhance my personal
effectiveness)
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Notes:
