Download Nonverbal communication

Comm101
Communication skills
NONVERBAL
COMMUNICATION
Dr. Fatmah Almoayad
Course content
■ Orientation and introduction
■ The process of communication
■ Nonverbal communication
■ Verbal communication
■ Interpersonal skills of health care professional
■ Therapeutic communication
■ Roadblocks to therapeutic communications
■ Communicating with your supervisor
■ Cultural sensitivity
Types of nonverbal communications
■ Kinesics:
– gestures
– facial expressions
– gaze patterns
■ Proxemics
■ Touch
Gaze
Is a form of communication as well as a method for
collecting information
3- Gaze patterns
Gaze function:
■ Monitoring (patient assessment, listener)
■ Regulating
■ Expressing
Interpretation of eye contacts
■ Eye contact from a HCP shows interest and makes
the patient feel valuable.
■ Lack of eye contact may be interpreted as
disinterest or avoidance.
■ Long eye contact can be dehumanizing and may be
interpreted as invasion of privacy.
■ Long eye contacts can be also be show discourteous
or even hostile.
Normal Gazing pattern
■ Direct eye contact 50%-60 % during a normal
conversation.
■ Average length 2-3 seconds.
■ Speakers gaze 40% of the time while listeners 75%.
■ Speaker eye gazing decreases
of the topic increases .
as the complexity
■ Females tend to look more than males.
Important points for HCP
■ Gazing is culturally sensitive. Consider the gender and
the cultural norm of your patient.
■ Normal assessment gazing that doesn’t make a patient
feel uncomfortable is a sign of professionalism.
4- Personal space
■ People have their personal space/territory that
provide them with a sense of identity, security and
control.
■ Invading personal space makes people feel
threatened or uncomfortable.
■ Sometimes health care providers need to invade this
space for examinations and procedures.
Personal distance zones
1- Intimate distance:
– Up to 1.5 feet apart.
– Allow people to touch.
– Needed for examination.
Personal distance zones
2- Personal distance:
– 1.5-4 feet apart
(arm length).
– Appropriate for personal
conversations with soft to
moderate voices.
– Used when discussing
personal matters and
procedures with patients.
Personal distance zones
3- Social Distance:
– 4-12 feet apart.
– Appropriate in business and
social settings.
– Used during consultations.
Personal distance zones
4- Public Distance:
– More than 12 feet
apart.
– Used in large events.
– Intended to separate
the speaker from the
listeners.
Personal
distance
zones
Public distance
Social distance
Personal distance
Intimate
1.5F
4F
distance
Touching
Soft voices
Consultations
Large events
12 F
More than 12 F
How to loosen patient anxiety when
invading their space
■ Treat patients with respect (personal space,
belongings, privacy).
■ Allow patient to control surroundings (lights, shades,
door).
■ Recognize the need for privacy.
■ Explain the need of invading personal space and
explain procedures.
4- Position
■ HCPs position is important when
speaking with patients
How can position enhances
communication with patients
■ Maintain a close but comfortable distance (arm length
space: Personal distance).
■ Maintain eye level conversations.
■ Keep interactions face to face.
■ A slight lean toward the patient expresses warmth,
interest, acceptance, caring and trust.
Unacceptable positions
■ Standing over a patient conveys a message of superiority.
■ Too much distance may be interpreted as avoidance.
■ Moving away from a patient can be interpreted as dislike,
disinterest, boredom or impatience.
■ Leaning backward shows lack of interest.
5- Posture
The position of the body and limbs as well as muscular
tone, it reveals a great deal about emotional status.
Dropping head, sagging shoulders,
low muscle tone and the appearance
of sadness and fatigue are signs of
Depression
Increased muscle tone, rigid
body that is held in an
upright manner is a sign of
Anxiety
Leaning forward and dropping the legs
back are signs of
Interest
Lowered head, outstretched legs, and
backward positioning are signs of
Boredom
Closed body posture is a sign of
Avoidance and rejection
How should HCPs posture be
■ Relaxed and open body posture (uncrossed arms and legs)
■ Face the patient
■ lean forward
This will to show:
■ Confidence.
■ Friendly attitude.
■ Warmth.
6- Touch
■ Needed for:
– Examination
– Diagnosis
– Treatment
– Caring
■ May be used to:
– Enhancing rapport
– Emotional support
– Supplement verbal communication
Points for HCP
■ Tell patients when, how and where they will be
touched.
■ Consider culture.
■ Use touch that is appropriate to the situation.
■ Supplement verbal communications with touch but
DO NOT replace words with touch.
■ Assess patients’ response to touch.
■ Think about the power of dynamic.
It is a two way process
It is important to consider the nonverbal messages you
get from patients but at the same time think about the
messages you send.
Be Consistent , Professional, and Trustworthy
ANY QUESTIONS?