Effective Communication Reflective Analysis

Effective communication requires the use of many identifiable skills that must be employed at the appropriate time and in an appropriate manner. This essay will encompass reflective analysis of some of the communication skills displayed during an interview conducted between myself and a friend and will be structured on the 4R’s model of reflective thinking.

The objectives are to identify the distinct types of communication skills exhibited throughout the interaction and to provide critical analysis on the use, effectiveness and benefits of those skills. Finally, the validity of the skills will be related to a prospective future career path.

Reporting on the Interaction

During the interview I spoke with my good friend and professional colleague

Questions are a large component of my everyday interactions with others in both the social and professional environments, while reflection of content and feeling are relatively new yet effective concepts which I have learned to employ since beginning the unit PYB007. I found appropriate paraphrasing to be an excellent communication tool as it displays understanding of the message or feeling while building rapport and improving synergy.

Reasoning through Analysis of communication skills

The use of questions in varying forms to further my understanding of the topics Ben communicated was paramount to the flow and progression of the interaction. I used both open and closed questions throughout the dialogue with a strong bias towards open questioning. According to Hazelwood and Shakespeare-Finch (2014, p. 280) open questions allow and encourage a person to respond in a detailed manner giving them the freedom to give the response in any way they desire.

A case study concerning the Interpersonal Consulting Skills for Instructional Technology Consultants, was focussed on investigating the interpersonal skills that were used to develop trust-based relationships. The case study

It was my belief that closed type questioning took the thinking away from the responder and would give inaccurate results. After researching the topic, I now understand that closed type questions serve a specific purpose. As an example, the closed question type can be very effective at determining symptoms of patients during the diagnosis phase, and I will surely employ this type of questioning during my future career and interactions in general.

Through my interaction and research, I learned that Validation is a powerful communication tool with multi-faceted benefits. Although I tend to do this naturally, I will be far more aware of opportunities to give validation with my new-found knowledge and believe the act of doing so is beneficial for both parties involved.

Conclusion

The knowledge I have gained from researching the skills used in effective communication, coupled with critical analysis of my own interaction with Ben has improved my communication skills considerably. I believe the act of building rapport using varying techniques should be the principle focus of the health professional during their interactions. The vast number of communication skills that exist are still overwhelming to me, however the introduction to these skills now gives me the confidence that in my future as an Optometrist I will be an effective and supportive communication