COMMUNICATION AND

COUNSELING
A.J BONONGWE
Communication is defined as the process of imparting or exchanging
of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.

 It is the means of conveying or sharing of ideas and feelings

 It is sharing ideas and feelings mutually
It is interactive by nature
Players in communication
 sender
Medium
Receiver
Communication process
It has two participants- the sender and the receiver
When messages are transmitted, they activate the person
 the response is the purpose of communication.
Communication requires a source, a sender, a message and a person
at the receiving end.
This process is present in all living things
 Is a fundamental and universal process.
Elements of communication
An information source, that helps us produce a message.
A transmitter or an encoder, who encodes the message into signals
and sends it.
A channel, which processes the signals for transmission.
A receiver, which / who decodes the message from the signal.
A destination, where the message arrives finally.
Disturbances or noise
Major dimensions of communication

a. Content (what type of things are communicated )

b. Source (by whom)
c. Form (in which form)
d. Channel (through which medium)
e. Destination/Receiver (to whom)
f. Purpose/Pragmatic aspect (with what kind of results)
Communication Cycle
• Sender of the message
• Receiver of the message
• Message
• Medium
• Setting
• Feedback
cont.’
Communication is cyclical and therefore a bi-directional process.
The chain of communication involves physiology, physics and the
involvement of human effort.

 When we speak something the whole process of communication

takes place with the help of our articulatory organs.

 In fact, all living beings produce sounds to communicate.

cont.’
These sound waves travel in the air, get transmitted and are finally
received by the decoder.
This receiver at the other end may be a machine or a human being
with an inbuilt capacity to interpret and decode the messages.
Cont.’
• Communication requires that all parties understand a common
language that is exchanged.

FORMS OF COMMUNICATION
a) Auditory OR verbal communication such as speaking or singing,
b) Nonverbal or physical communication such as body language,
sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact or the use of
writing
Factors that affect the Communication
process in health delivery system
1. Emotional factor
Communication is affected by emotions of both encoder and decoder.
 if the emotions play a role in communication, the entire process gets
affected.
 Emotions are a product of physiological aspect of individual
For example, patient can be emotional due to the nature of illness,
hence the need for understanding by the health care providers in
order to achieve the effective communication
Intelligence
Intelligence means knowledge
Communication process is affected by the knowledge of the decoder
Healthcare providers need to have full intelligence of the need of
their clients in order to be able to communicate better.
Lack of intelligence makes communication difficult
Overloaded information
Too much information affect the communication process
To achieve effective communication between the patient and health
care providers, it is important not to overload the patient with too
much information
On the other hand, players communicate longer if they have much
information on what is being communicated.
Understanding
Communication is influenced by understanding between the two
parties.
This understanding is affected by physiology e.g. age, disease
condition and attitude
Providers need to understand the needs of their clients and also
ensure that the clients also understand what the provider is
communicating.
Where there is understanding, there is an open channel for
communication
Motivation
 People communicate better when they are motivated.
People get motivated to communicate with others depending on the
treatment they get from the other party.
The patient who is treated well by the practitioner, has is motivated
to open a batter channel of communication as compared to a
frustrated patient.
For example, the greeting at every point of service delivery when the
patient visits the hospital
ATTITUDE
It means how someone perceive something or others i.e., judgment.
Communication in every aspect is affected by attitude which
someone has about the other partner.
Attitude of the patient towards the health care provider provides a
rapport for communication.
There is effective communication when there is positive attitude
between the patient and the health care provider and visa versa.
For example attitude by the Healthcare providers towards AIDS
patients and elderly patients
NEED
 People communicate more often when there is need.
when the need is accomplished, the channel of communication
reaches to its end.
For example, the patient and the health provider communicate when
there is a health need.
When the need is achieved, the communication ends there except
when another appointment is needed
Medical Jargons
The use of medical terms or difficult terms compromise the whole
purpose of communication.
People communicate to exchange information
Therefore, the use of simple language is important at all levels of
service delivery
It is difficult to get the positive feedback from the patient who didn’t
understand the terms used by the practitioner on how to take his/her
medicines. E.g., take hydrochrothiazide p.o o.d 1/12
Missed communication is very dangerous in medicines
Cultural Difference
Communication process is affected by culture.
Some practices that are acceptable for communication in one culture
might be viewed as unacceptable in other cultures.
Therefore, it is important to establish a common ground to
accommodate all cultures in order to achieve effective
communication in healthcare system.
For example, some cultures do not allow a patient to be attended by
a practitioner of opposite sex.
Cont.’
Channels of communication
1. Person to person
2. One person to many persons
3. Many persons to many persons
Mode of communication
Speaking – Listening
• In this mode of communication the possible interaction is face-to-face
and person-to-person.
• It includes body language, sharing of ideas and immediate feedback
as well as reinforcement.
• In a classroom situation students can ask questions, clarify doubts
and derive satisfaction.
Cont.’
Writing – Reading
• In this mode of communication, the receiver or decoder is not
physically present in front of the sender or encoder.
• Still, there is a chance for the sender and receiver of messages to
enjoy and appreciate the feelings of each other.
• Language is always the vehicle for communication and often
changeable into other forms.
Cont.’
Visualising – Observing
• In this mode of communication, sender encodes the messages in the
form of symbols and signs.
• Receiver decodes these signals and feels the impact of the ideas
conveyed.
• Dramatization and audio-visual experiences come into this category.
• Communication carried out is many to many and person to many.
BARRIERS OF COMMUNICATION
Distance
Language
Personality
Education
Age difference
Culture
Sex differences
COMMUNICATION SKILLS REQUIRED
BY HEALTHCARE PHARMACIST
ACTIVE LISTENING
A good pharmacist is supposed to listen carefully to the message or
information given by clients
Giving all the attention to the clients brings about motivation to the
client and eventually giving out the full information about the
problem.
This improves the feedback on the recommended therapy
ASKING QUESTIONS
 It is important to ask questions when the client is explaining the
problem.
It helps to understand and correlate the problem with experience.
This helps in decision making on the kind of therapy to be given to
the client
PARAPHRASING
This means repeating the statements stated by the client in your own
way.
You may also be giving examples of the problem
This shows the client that you are following their case.
This also in turn motivate the clients
Eye Contact
Good pharmacist should maintain eye contact with the client
This requires looking directly on the client eyes when they are
explaining and when giving the response
Eye contact helps to create an environment where the client gives out
the true facts about their case.
Gestures and Postures
It is important to maintain good postures and gestures when the
client is giving their story
Gestures helps to improve communication because the clients feel
that you are in their shoes.
Distance
A good pharmacist should understand that communication is
achieved through maintaining a good distance.
While communicating with the clients it is important to keep a good
distance which will not be affected by disturbances or noise
Encouraging
 finally, the pharmacist should be able to encourage the client where
ever possible.
Make them understand that what they have communicated to you is
possible and will be fine.
Communication mediums
Printed materials
Posters
Televisions
Drama
Radios
Telephones
Internet
Concrete objects
WRITING METHODS IN
COMMUNICATION
There are two main writing methods used in communication
1. Memos
2. reports
 Memorandum
• Memorandum is the type of communication that takes place within
the organisation.
• The sender and the receiver all belong to the same organisation
• It is the report or a letter that communicate ideas within the
organisation.
Contents of a Memo
Date
Sender
Receiver and address
Curl copies
Topic
Introduction and body
Ends with signature and name
Reports
• It takes the form of the letter and essay
• A letter has got two addresses because its between different entities
• It has a date, title, introduction, body, conclusion
• Ends with “yours faithfully”, signature and name
Essays
• Just expression of ideas
• Have got introduction, body and conclusion
• Each point is introduced by introductory words e.g., firstly, secondly
etc.
Referencing
• Four systems used in referencing
1. In text referencing
2. Book referencing
3. Journal referencing
4. Newspaper referencing