Interpersonal skills for the Caring Professionals Assignment

Introduction

In my opinion, interpersonal skills will be known as the tactics and the behaviors that are used by a person so that they can interact with other people effectively. The 6Cs; are Care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and competence are also very important when talking about interpersonal skills. In the world of business, it is also known as the ability of the employee to collaborating and working with others (Arnold and Boggs, 2019). There are interpersonal skills that will be ranging from that of communication to attitude to deportment and listening. Interpersonal skills will help a person get along better in the world and there are people who are born with the same skills but everybody can improve upon the same with regular practice. 

As I believe, it has always been said if a person is good at communication then he or she will be good in business as well. There are many issues that can be solved by interaction with others and people will have to know how to handle the interactions efficiently by interacting.

Having a positive attitude is very important for the development of interpersonal skills. This is one of the major components of the skills that are interpersonal (O'Toole, 2016). This is how one can show that they are mature while they are handling a situation or just talking. It can be seen that if there is a positive attitude shown during work then it means that one is showing respect for the same along with the organization where they work. A positive attitude can be in the form of being cheerful, giving smiles while interactions with teams and colleagues (Bach and Grant, 2015). One can be greeting people cheerfully at the workplace and otherwise and that will be counted as a positive gesture. There are many ways of appreciating the works of the colleagues and that will be considered as the essential part of having an attitude that is positive.

Learning easier ways of solving problems: There are many people who work days and nights on end so that the organization can be at the point where it is. There can be an occurrence of conflict or there may be a conflict of ideology or that of ideas which can be more than common where two people are present that is in a workplace for example. I think that being a part of such an environment makes us think that the easier the problem is solved the better however that may not always be for the best. There must be people who will have to think about how the problem can be resolved holistically as it will reduce the amount of time that is wasted. This will also make sure that the problems are solved effectively. Once it has been evaluated as to how to solve the problem then one must proceed further and then try to apply everything that they have thought of so that the problem can be quickly resolved. There may be objectives that need to be set up so that proper strategies can be implemented. Once the strategies have been implemented according to the plan the success can be monitored.

Mastering of good communication skills: This is one of the most important parts of interpersonal skills. There are messages that one must disseminate effectively without the creation of any conflicts in the best way possible so that they are able to do a job. The two types of interpersonal skills are that of nonverbal and verbal skills. There is a very basic aspect of the communication that is one should be effectively listening to the other person as they speak. Listening thoughtfully is an art and a person who is good at communication will listen to everything very thoughtfully.  I believe that this is the old saying however it stands true for even that of today. After one has listened to something thoughtfully they will know that they are in a place to give an opinion as they have done what they should be doing in this case. The person who has listened thoughtfully will know what the conversation is all about and they will be more aware of what they are speaking. This is one of the most common ideas of communication and one cannot avoid it no matter which profession they are in. It is one of the important aspects of the 6Cs to have good communication skills.

Key features of the helping relationship

It can be observed that the caregiving is a formal job that allows one individual to provide unpaid services to another person after retiring from their serving life. However, besides that, it can be analysed that there are a number of people are available within the community that serves another person to help them with various activities that they usually do in their daily work schedule (Spitzberg and Cupach, 2011). On the other hand, while discussing the key features of a helping relationship is mainly consists of several aspects such as empathy, genuineness, positive regards and understanding. Therefore, while providing significant support to a person, these characteristics must be developed within the caregiver to become more reliable towards the client. The key features of a helping relationship are discussed as below:

Empathy: It can be stated that empathy is one of the most significant aspects that can easily fulfil ten gaps between the caregiver and the caregiver. Moreover, it can be understood that through including a significant sense of empathy within the nature of the individual the caregivers can easily understand what type of service is mainly required by the caretaker. However, it will also assist the individuals to develop extra care support within themselves (Rodrigo et al. 2019). 

Genuineness: One of the most vital and essential parts of developing a healthy caregiving relationship is to develop emotional bonding with each other. Moreover, in such a case, the individual must be more genuine. Therefore, if a positive attitude has been maintained throughout the caregiving process so that a healthy and sympathetic relationship and understanding can be developed between the client and the caregiver.  

Positive attitude: It can be stated that through maintaining a positive attitude within the caregiving process the role of the individual becomes more overwhelming. In addition to that, the caregiver must try to stay more optimistic so that the stress of the person can be reduced through healthy communication and make the person more encouraged to pass his/her future days.

Understanding: Understating is none of the most significant aspect and the key feature of caregiving that can assist the caregiver to develop a healthy relation and connectivity with the caretaker. It is essential for the caretaker to understand what type of support the caretaker is needed and how to solve their major issues within a specific timeframe.

In my opinion, there are many ways and theories of communication and one of them is the linear model of communication. The linear model is to be defined as the set of components that have been required for communicating rather for the establishment of communication.

Figure 1: Linear model of communication

 (Source: O'Toole, 2016)

There is the sender who is the person to be sending across messages after their encoding. The encoding is known to be the process of the conversion of the messages into the codes that are compatible with the channels and then it is understandable for that of the receiver. The process of decoding is the way in which the encoded messages can be changed into something that is understandable by that of the receiver. The message is the piece of information that has been sent by that of the sender to that of the receiver. The channel will be known as the medium through which the messages are sent. As per my opinion, there is the receiver who will be the person to be getting the message after it is decoded. Noise is known to be the disruption that is being caused within that of the communication process or within the channel or it may be there while understanding the message. This theory is also known as Lasswell’s communication model and it had been developed by the famous communication theorist Harold D. Lasswell (1902-1978) in the year 1948. This is also known to be the linear model or the action model of communication and is one of the most influential of its kind. The communication of a caring person has to be made keeping in mind the 6Cs. They will have to be caring, compassionate, communicative, courageous, competent and committed.

As I believe, there are many cons of the process of linear communication like the fact that it encourages non-verbal communication and there can be more noise as the communicators are talking simultaneously.

Figure 2: Components of Lasswell’s Model

 (Source: O'Toole, 2016)

Aristotle’s model of communication: This was one of the first and the earliest of the linear models that were propounded by Aristotle. He was a teacher of rhetoric and created an academy that would produce good speakers.

Figure 3: Aristotle’s model of communication

 (Source: Jeuring et al., 2015)

There are however many criticisms to the theory that he propounded giving rise to the barriers of communication. He had not given any importance to the concept of the feedback and that will be away from the speaker to the audience. The great Philosopher didi not admit the concept of failure of communication due to barriers and noises. This is the model that can only be used for that of speaking in public.

In the year of 1960, David Berlo had postulated the SCMR model of communication. SCMR stands for Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver. I can say that it was derived from Shannon Weaver’s Communication model. That model was propounded in the year 1949. There were some factors described that affected the individual components of communication that made communication even more efficient. This is the model that will focus on the decoding and the encoding which usually happens before a sender will send the message and the time before the receiver will be receiving the message respectively.

Figure 4: Berlo’s SCMR model

 (Source: Merckaert et al., 2015)

There are however many criticisms of this model as well which indicate the barrier in communication. This model also does not encourage any feedback and the effect of communication is not considered. The concept of any kind of barrier or noise has not been admitted. I will be saying that there is taken to be seen as a linear model of communication, the model shows that there are no alternate ways of communication. It is considered that the people are similar that is they are the same according to the factors that are given.

As I believe, there are many characteristics of a helping relationship and the essence of a helping relationship is what one does for others and not what one gains in life or accomplishes for their own selves. The key features of a relationship of helping are:

Acceptance: it is the act of understanding or accepting someone else or a situation without judging the same.

Respect: This is the part where someone gives dignity to any individual that they meet by the act of being constantly pleasant non-judgmental and open.

Understanding: This is the way someone can thoughtfully and carefully relate to the experience of the client.

Empathy: I can say that this is done when someone is ready to walk a mile in the shoes of another person and they would like to experience their lives as they are able to experience them (Foster and Macleod Clark, 2015).

Trust: This is something that is to be done so that there are privacy privileges between the person and another that they are confiding in with. This is the way of letting people feel that they are safe. This is the way one assures the other that whatever information has been revealed to them will not be told to anyone else without prior permission (Merckaert et al., 2015). Confidentiality may help a person connect with another on a very superficial level.

Genuineness and warmth: this is the process of communication with genuineness and using thorough eye contact and tone of voice.

Soler: This is the person that will attend a conversation to hear what another person has to say. This is something that will involve the committed and sustained efforts to hear what another person has to say. This is communicated largely by the way the one orients themselves physically towards their client (Jeuring et al., 2015).  The soler will have to have a face that will convey their interest to the person who is speaking to them. They will have to be having an open posture which will be a sign that they will be receptive to what any other person has to say. They will also have to lean towards the client so that their posture conveys that they are fully engaged in what the client is saying. They will have to maintain steady eye contact so that they are able to concentrate better and in this way show that they are interested. The soler will have to try to be relaxed so that the person speaking to them is also able to relax. The 6Cs are important as a soler to be able to help the patient.

Figure 5: Patient care model

 (Source- Jeuring et al., 2015)

Listening with empathy: The soler will have to listen to their client or the person speaking to them with a lot of empathy. They will have to make sure that the other person understands that they are fully engaged in the conversation and they are willing to pay attention and listen. This involves the payment of full attention to what message is being conveyed. This will involve the meaning of the message that is being conveyed. There is also the feeling with which it will have to be conveyed along with the content (Kim et al., 2017). There are people who might consciously or subconsciously be able to communicate their feelings through the body language they have, their tone of voice and their facial expressions. Compassion and empathy are very close which means that the 6Cs are being followed while listening with concern and empathy.

 

Figure 6: Cycle of reflective approach

 (Source:  Kim et al., 2017)

According to my experience, the practice of reflection is the ability to reflect on one’s actions so that they can be engaged in the process that of continuous learning. The definition further clarifies that adoption of the approach of reflection involves the paying of critical attention to that of the practical values and the theories that inform everyday actions by the examination of the practices reflexively and reflectively (Kneafsey et al., 2016). This is something that will be leading to that of the developmental insight. The main rationale for this reflective practice can be stated that experience alone cannot necessarily be leading to that of learning and there is no deliberate reflection on that of experience that will be essential.

I can say that the practice of reflecting is a very important tool within that of the practice-based professional learning where the people can learn from the experiences that they have professionally. This is something that is deemed to be better for that of knowledge transfer which is better than formal learning. This is something that is the most important of the sources of personal and professional improvement and development. This is also one of the ways in which there can be brought together the theory and the practice (Pinto et al., 2016). There can be through reflection that the person can be able to see and then label the forms of the thought and the theory within that of the context of work he or she has done. The person who is reflecting throughout their practice is not just the one who is looking back on past events and actions but they are also making a conscious effort to look at their emotions, actions, experiences, and responses. They are using that collected knowledge so that they can reach a higher level of understanding.

I might say that, there are many people in the world who are part of someone's work life or personal life who can be very good listeners. There can be many kinds of situations that a person falls in and no matter what they will always know how to be handling that (Lown et al., 2016). They will know what to say and how so that the person is not offended. They are the people who are known to be considerate and caring and although they do not find the solution to the problem they will leave the other person to be more optimistic and hopeful.

There are also many people who are very good at managing their emotions and they do not react or get angry in stressful situations. They are the ones who have the ability to look at a problem and calmly find a solution for the same (Modi et al., 2016). They are the ones who make excellent decisions and they are the ones who trust their intuitions. They may or may not have a lot of strengths but they are willing to look at the same very honestly. I may say that, they are known to be taking criticism very well and they also know how to use the same to be improving their performance. This is the description of people with very high emotional intelligence and they are the ones who know themselves very well (Hojat et al., 2015). They will also be the ones to sense the emotional needs of the others around them. Since there are different personalities they will all have different needs and wants and they will also have various ways of showing their emotions.

Care: It can be assessed that, while developing a professional career in the caregiving industry a sense of caring towards others is required to be determined within the personality traits of an individual. Protective attention and caution must be acknowledged so that based on the situations proper decision can be made. However, care also plays a significant role in fulfilling the needs of the clients and increase their reliability towards the caregiving professional. On the other hand, showing the utmost care also helps to develop mere prosperity between the caretaker and the caregiver (Sautenet et al. 2017).   

Compassion: Based on this particular context it can be assessed Compassion is one of the most essential elements of 6C's of the caregiving profession. The compassion can be described as a sensitive aspect using which the level of distress of the client can be reduced and self-motivation can be served to them. However, the professional training can also emphasis the process through which distress can be mitigated and a healthy lifestyle can also be assured for the individual as well.   

Courage: It can be said that the caregiving includes courageous steps to assure the betterment of the caretaker. Besides that, the act of courage includes confront the mistakes and include the assistance of other persons (Basque et al. 2018).

Communication: It can be stated that communication can be recognised as one of the most effective processes of successfully delivering effective care to patients. However, it also increases the level of satisfaction of the client and enhances their adherences through medication and a strict healthy regime (Mabel, 2020). Therefore, it can be stated that a well-managed communication can also increase the trust of the client towards the caregiver and reduce the errors within the services (Grant and Goodman, 2018).   

Competence: The competence refers to the roles of the caregiving professional and his/her ability to understand the mental and physical condition of the patient. Besides that, it also allows the professional to provide the necessary service to the client by using utmost expertise and technical knowledge, Therefore, it can be understood that through increasing the competencies of the professional enhanced treatment and services can be served to all the client in an apt manner.  

Commitment: It can be stated that caregiving is one of the most significant aspects that can provide additional support and encouragement for the clients and as well as other individuals. In addition to that, communication is also a significant key aspect that also helps to enhance the relationship between the caretaker and the caregiver. Besides that, communication also helps the caregivers to support the patients to develop a significant relation and understanding in between (Bagheri, et al. 2019).

Understand the importance of continuous identifying strengths and weakness in personal and professional life through self-awareness, sensory awareness, reflective and empathic skills

Identification of own strength and weakness is quite significant for both personal and professional life to develop self-awareness and reflective practices by identifying own capabilities and competencies. Moreover, to improve the self-awareness and own competencies it is significantly essential to improve the areas of strengths and also get rid of the possible weaknesses. However, through using the empathetic skills of the individual, it is essential to reduce the areas of weaknesses as it can become one of the major downfalls for the person. Finally, it can be acknowledged that, through assessing own strength and weaknesses by using all these aspects, an individual a get additional assistance for developing immense knowledge and skills and competencies in both personal and professional area (Gujarathi and Kulkarni, 2018).

It can also be stated that based on the personal skills of communication self-awareness and empathetic awareness are required to be evaluated so that, the individual may become more aware while serving and exchanging a piece of specific information with the client. Sensory awareness of the surrounding can also assist the individual to take appropriate decision based on the situation.          

It can be assessed that to develop a major understanding within the helping and caregiving professional area, there are several components that are to be acknowledged in a significant manner. However, the inter-personal continuity, social interaction and emotional climate are to be understood to develop a significant inter-personal understanding within the caregiver and caretakers. However, there are two major components that are to be considered for developing a healthy relationship in the caregiving profession. In addition to that, for ensuring a non-stigmatizing attitude can be formed by the caregivers so that the services can be provided to them after establishing a specific routine (Gregersen and MacIntyre, 2018). 

The concept of the "inter-personal" skills mainly signifies the behaviours of a person who is into the caregiving profession and tri sot interact with the clients more effectively. On the other hand, it can be understood that in the current scenario this particular concept also defines the ability of the individual to work more effectively with other persons in an effective manner.

Besides that, in the modem scenario, various researchers have developed multiple theories regarding the inter-personal skills of an individual. The theoretical emotions also incorporate a specific awareness and develop a significant idea based on the psychological arousal of the person. As per the Cannon-Bard theory, it can be stated that the emotional expression of a person can also help to create an emotional feeling that can help to stimulate several occurring within a specific time being.              

It can be stated that the rapport-building occurring can happen through both verbal and non-verbal exchanges of the word. In addition to that, through analysing the effectiveness of both verbal and non-verbal along with written communication a subsequent report can be made through acknowledging various communicative signals from various ends. Furthermore, body positing, body movements and facial expressions can also deliver additional assistance to successfully exchange the information and emotions with each other. As communication becomes more clean and effective a strong relationship can be developed with each other (Dainton and Zelley, 2017). 

In my opinion, there are many skills that are required by that of a caring individual that is a nurse practitioner. Communication can be one of the most challenging aspects of the job. The life of a nurse who is traveling may be full of vicissitudes so having great interpersonal skills can make sure that they manage their career very well. The health caring professional is someone who gets to work with diverse sets of people therefore, they must be having the kind of skills that will help them have successful experiences with their patients and colleagues. It will be of most help if the caring representative can keep in mind the 6Cs once they start working.

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