Communication theories PDF

Preview

Summary

Communication theories...

Description

Theories of communication – Soler The theory of communication which I am going to discuss is Gerard Egan’s Theory which is known as the Soler theory. Gerard Egan wrote a book called the ‘Skilled Helper’ based on his life/experience he had in North America. Egan’s theory has 5 principals, the word SOLER is an acronym. The letter ‘S’ stands for sitting squarely, ‘O’ stands for open posture, ‘L’ stands for leaning when necessary, ‘E’ stands for eye contact and ‘R’ stands for relaxed body language. Egan claimed that these 5 principals would make a person feel more involved. As well as that it would improve an individuals communication skills a lot more (www.gp-training.net). The letter ‘S’ stands for sitting squarely and this means when talking to another individual he/she should ensure that they are facing the person, sitting up straight ensuring they are facing the person squarely. If a carer didn’t sit squarely and instead was slouched then this would seem as though the carer doesn’t care and sitting too close to a service user would make them feel intimidated. Also, if the person didn’t face them then it would seem as though the person doesn’t want to talk to the person. Gerard quoted ‘In North American culture, facing another person squarely is often considered a basic posture of involvement’. This means that sitting squarely would be the most appropriate way to sit and talk to someone because the person would be aware that the person’s full attention is on them. As well as that in some western countries sitting squarely is seen as an offensive posture. The reason to this is because some people may think that sitting squarely may seem as though the person is angry with them and wants to harm them. Therefore, the carer would have to sit in a way which would face the patient whilst ensuring that he/she isn’t sat squarely or at an angle.

1

The letter ‘O’ stands for open posture and this means the carer should ensure that they are sat in a comfortable way ensuring they don’t have their arms and legs crossed because if so it will seem as though the person isn’t relaxed. For a person to have their arms and legs crossed creates a barrier of communication because it would seem as though the person doesn’t want to talk to him/her. If a person didn’t have an open posture then the person wouldn’t seem relaxed and may look intimidating. Gerard quoted ‘in North American culture, an open posture is generally seen as a non-defensive posture’. This means that sitting in a way in which is seen as being comfortable and is refrained from fiddling would be the best posture to portray yourself to someone. Different cultures may not agree with an individual sitting in an open posture as they may think that it is too welcoming and they may feel uncomfortable about this. Especially if a male carer has an open posture towards a women. The letter ‘L’ stands for leaning forward when necessary, this would convey that the carer has sense of interest towards the service user and actually cares. It would feel as though the person’s concerns are understood well. If the person didn’t do this and leaned backwards it would seem as though the person isn’t interested and is bored. Gerard quoted in North American culture, a slight inclination towards a person is often seen as saying, “I’m with you", and I’m interested in you and what you have to say.’ This quote indicates that leaning slightly towards someone shows that the person is intrigued in the conversation. In some western cultures leaning forward may be seen as an offense especially to women as they would dislike it. If the carer was a male then for a women man to invade a women’s personal space would be seen as an offense. The letter ‘E’ stands for eye contact and this indicates that a person is listening and is engaged in the conversation, however, the person shouldn’t stare too much as this may

2

make a person feel threatened. If the person didn’t maintain good eye contact and continuously kept looking away then this would show that the person doesn’t care and has no interest. Gerard quoted ‘Maintaining a good eye contact with a client is another way of saying I’m with you.’ This quote implies that eye contact is a very important aspect when communicating because if it isn’t used then the service user may think the carer doesn’t want to be around them. In some cultures especially the western countries may find some form of eye contact disturbing. This is because if a male doctor continuously kept staring at a female patient she would feel uncomfortable. The letter ‘R’ stands for relaxed body language and this means that a person should feel confident when talking to another person he/she shouldn’t fiddle with anything as this would indicate that the person is anxious or nervous. Egan believed that these ‘micro skills’ would help people to become involved and it was the best way to communicate as it would make a person feel comfortable around them and it would seem as though the person is caring. Also, this theory outlines techniques for active listening and it is for individuals who want to become better listeners. (www.fisherhouse.com) There are many benefits for this theory of communication. The service user would feel as though the carer is listening and is engaged within the conversation, the carer and service user would build a closer relationship and therefore trust each other more, more confident and understanding would be involved. An example of when sitting squarely would be used within a care setting such as a hospital is when a doctor needs to ask a question relating to the clients medical history because an aspect within their medical history may need clarifying. For instance the doctor may have to 3

clarify whether the patient has had a measles, mumps and rubella injection and if not then he/she would have to have one. It is important for the doctor to sit squarely as this indicates that the doctor cares about the service user and is willing to help. For instance the doctor didn’t sit squarely and sat in an angle which wasn’t facing the service user then the patient would feel as though the doctor doesn’t care because the doctor isn’t looking and facing towards the service user. Then the service user may not trust the doctor with their personal information as there would be no bond between the doctor and the service user. Another example of when sitting squarely would be used within a care setting such as a hospital is when the doctor may have to tell the service user bad news. It would be very important for the doctor to sit squarely whilst talking about the bad news because for the doctor to face the service user would mean the doctor is willing to help and cares for the service user. For instance the doctor may tell the service user he/she has cancer. The service user would feel traumatized and scared and for the doctor to make the patient feel calm he/she would have to sound reassuring and tell the patient what he/she should do next. For the doctor to sit squarely ensures that he/she emphasizes the situation and cares because if the doctor didn’t sit squarely and sat in an angle positioned which wasn’t facing the service user. Then the service user would feel as though the doctor doesn’t emphasizes the situation and that he/she is only giving the news because he/she has to otherwise he/she doesn’t care. Lastly, an example of when sitting squarely would be used in a care setting such as a hospital is when a doctor may give the service user their test results back and the results may say that he is low in iron and vitamin D. It would be important for the doctor to sit squarely because it shows that the doctor is listening because the doctor would be facing the service user. If the

4

doctor sat too close it would be invading the service users personal space and if the doctor was sat too far away this would seem as though the doctor doesn’t care. There are advantages and disadvantages to sitting squarely because looking specifically in a care setting such as a hospital and looking at the advantages it shows that a doctor/carer is interested in what the patient has to say and it shows respect and it shows that the doctor is listening to the service user. The disadvantages to sitting squarely is that some service user may not prefer it and feel as though it is an invasion of their space. However, in my opinion I think that sitting squarely is appropriate because it shows that the carer is interested in what is being said because a person would rather have a doctor sitting squarely than not face the service user at all. An example of when open posture may be used within a care setting such as a hospital is when the doctor may be welcoming the service user, it may be for the first time because the doctor may be new to the area and the service users previous doctor may have left. An open posture would be necessary to use because it would seem as though the doctor is happy to see the service user and is happy to help is any way. For instance the doctor had his arms and legs crossed this would portray to the service user that the doctor may be angry at him/her or doesn’t want to communicate. This would create a barrier of communication between the two and the service user would feel uncomfortable to talk to the doctor. So, by having an open posture would make the service user feel comfortable and they wouldn’t be shy to discuss any problems. Another example of when open posture may be used within a care setting such as a hospital is when the doctor may be discussing private and confidential information with the service user. For the doctor to have an open posture would indicate that the doctor is willing to 5

listen to any problems the service user may have. For a service user to discuss confidential information with the doctor would mean the service user trust the doctor. If that is the case then the doctor has to show interest in the way their posture is as well as verbal communication. The reason to this is because if the doctor is slouching then this would show no interest and the service user wouldn’t want to discuss any information with the service user. Lastly, an example of when open posture may be used in a care setting such as a hospital is when the service user is having an appointment with the doctor. Open posture would have to be used by the doctor because this shows the doctor is willing to talk to the service user about any concerns that he/she may have or any awareness that may need to be aroused. Also, it would make the service user feel comfortable and a bond would build between the two and the service user may trust the doctor. If the doctor had his arms and legs crossed then this would seem as though the doctor doesn’t want to speak to the service user and it would make the service user feel uncomfortable and it would send a negative outcome towards all service users. There are advantages and disadvantages to using an open posture within a care setting such as a care setting such as a hospital. The advantages are that it shows that the doctor/carer is welcoming and is willing to help and talk to the service user with ease. It shows the doctor is interested in what the service user is going to say. The disadvantages to using an open posture is that it may not be appropriate in some situations, for example when giving bad news to a service user. In my opinion I think an open posture is acceptable because it shows willingness that the doctor wants to help the patient and it shows that the doctor cares. A

6

service user would rather have a doctor have an open posture than a defensive posture because a defensive posture would show a negative outcome towards the service user.

7...