Barriers to communication

Good communication can be hampered by barriers. This can lead to misunderstandings and frustrations not only for patients/clients, but also for health care staff.

A barrier is anything that will get in the way of communication.

Which of the following would you consider a potential barrier to effective communication?

Attitude
Limited use of technology
Body positioning
Emotional state
Physical issues
Not enough time
Poor or negative body language
Lack of privacy
Stereotyping

All of these things can be a barrier to effective communication:

Attitude: when a worker is abrupt due to time limits, not having enough resources or their mood, the person they are speaking to may feel intimidated or frustrated and not want to communicate
Limited use of technology: when the technological aids known to be the best way for someone to communicate are not available
Body positioning: sitting too close could be intimidating and would make an individual feel uncomfortable. Sitting too far away could show lack of interest or concern
Emotions: when someone is depressed, angry, embarrassed or upset their emotions may affect their ability to think and communicate in a sensible way
Physical issues: When someone has physical conditions that create communication difficulties, for example, being breathless, not having any teeth or being in pain
Not enough time: not giving individuals time to say what they want may make them feel rushed and reluctant to express their true wishes
Poor or negative body language: crossed arms or legs, poor facial expressions, poor body positioning, constant fidgeting or looking at a watch or mobile phone can all make someone less likely to communicate
Lack of privacy: think carefully about where and when private and confidential conversations should take place
Stereotyping: Generalisations about a group of people that are wrong and misleading. An example would be that ‘all older people are hard of hearing’

Other barriers include sensory impairments, culture, language, noise, lighting or substance misuse.

Reducing barriers

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As a worker you should do what you can to reduce any barriers to communication.

Know as much as possible about an individual

The most effective way to make sure that you are meeting someone’s communication needs and providing person-centred care is to know as much as possible as you can about them

Use your skills

Open body language and a positive, non-judgemental attitude will further help reduce barriers.

Use communication passports

A ‘communication passport’ might be used by some which provides vital information about their needs, wishes and preferences. This pulls together the information into a format that is easy to read, often with pictures and photographs.

Putting something like this together with an individual can be another good way of getting to know them well and understanding their needs.

Your organisation might have a suggested format but at a simple level you can put one together with the individual to suit them.

Get feedback

It is important to get regular feedback about your communication style and methods from the people you provide care and support to so that you can continue to improve how you communicate.

Take opportunities to learn

You could also increase your awareness of different communication needs and methods through taking up learning opportunities.

Learning can come from other workers, your manager and a wide range of courses and qualifications.

Ask the experts

Information and support on particular communications needs can be found from specialist charities and associations, especially those specialising in particular disabilities or medical conditions.

Websites can provide material on forums, services or groups in the local area that you could attend or use to find out more.

In addition, some local charities offer specific human aids such as befrienders, advocates or mentors. A befriender could support an individual in overcoming emotional difficulties that are a barrier to their communication. An advocate could communicate on an individual’s behalf if their skills are very limited.

A number of additional key experts available to support individuals with their communication needs include speech and language therapists, interpreters, translators, and clinical psychologists or counsellors.

Remember

Experience will help you to develop a variety of new methods of communication and selecting the best one in each situation.

Be creative.

Checking understanding

Checking that communication has been understood is an essential part of the process. It is the best way to be sure that barriers have been overcome.

How can you check whether your communication has been effective and the individual has understood?

What are your thoughts and suggestions, Click the picture for more further suggestions.

A vital skill that checks understanding is summarising. A summary should bring together the main points of an exchange of information. This will allow the individual to correct you if necessary. This can help you to check that you have correctly understood.

Questions are another way of checking whether a message has been received. Make sure you ask questions in a way that the individual has to provide a detailed response (open questions), rather than asking questions which require only a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ reply (closed questions). For example: ‘What do you like to do in your spare time?’ However, closed questions can be useful in some situations.

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