Good communication in teaching & presenting INTRODUCTION TO CHILDREN S PALLIATIVE CARE TRAINING OF TRAINERS

Good communication in teaching & presenting INTRODUCTION TO CHILDREN S PALLIATIVE CARE TRAINING OF TRAINERS

This presentation Potential difficulties in communicating about children s palliative care The need for self awareness Styles of communication strengths and weaknesses Verbal communication Non verbal communication Effective communicators

The two words information and communication are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out, communication is getting through. Sydney J. Harris

Potential difficulties in teaching CPC There are some difficult subject areas, e.g. end of life care, using morphine Social taboos around death and dying Fear of causing a reaction e.g. when talking about bereavement issues Your own lack of confidence in the area Lack of experience Fear of difficult questions you can t answer

Good communication starts with you The way you communicate depends on who you are. How self aware are you?

Activity: Communication Style self assessment (Peter Urs Bender) http://www.thevantagepoint.ca/sites/default/files/high%20performing%20teams%20 %20Self%20assessment%20handout.pdf Analytical Driver Amiable Expressive

Scoring You are not just one style, and neither is anyone else so you have to adjust your communication accordingly. Don t ascribe labels because we are all different and complex so no one fits into a box. This tool, as with other tools, is meant to be a guide and to give you ideas.

The Expressive The Expressive, a verbally adept personality, is engaging, accommodating, supportive of others, persuasive, socially adept, and relationship rather than task oriented. He or she loves to be one of the gang, and is always ready for something new and exciting, especially if the gang is ready to participate. Additional strengths include enthusiasm, diplomatic skills, and the ability to inspire others. Wants to know who who else is involved Values appreciation, applause a pat on the back Loves social situations and parties Likes to inspire others Fears being rejected.

The Analytical Polite but reserved, logical, fact and task oriented. Focus on precision and perfection. Other strengths include persistence, diligence, caution and a systematic approach. Weaknesses: Withdrawn, boring, reclusive, sullen. Can be indecisive as needs to analyse data. Not a risk taker. Wants to know how things work Wants to be accurate and have accuracy with others Values numbers, stats, ideas Loves details Fears being embarrassed or losing face

The Amiable The Amiable s pleasure is stability and cooperation. His or her pain is change and chaos. Wants to know why why am I doing this Wants to build relationships Loves to give support to others Values suggestions for others Fears losing trust or having disagreements Tend to display emotions.

The Driver The Driver is a high achiever a mover and shaker who is not averse to risk. This individual is extroverted, strong willed, direct, practical, organized, forceful, and decisive. The Driver s pleasure is power, control, and respect. His or her pain is loss of respect, lack of results, and the feeling that he or she is being taken advantage of. Wants to know what what will this do for me Wants to save time Values results Loves being in control, in charge, doing it his way Fears giving up control. Often extroverted but do not show emotions

Application Things to think about: What communication style is best suited to presenting on CPC? What communication style is least suited to presenting on CPC? How do you use this information when you prepare your training and presentations?

What is communication? The act of imparting, especially news or the science and practice of transmitting information. Concise Oxford Dictionary Communication is a complex process. At any stage of this process things may go wrong, making the communication less effective. E.g. Room is noisy, words not understood, etc.

Two way communication The most important way to overcome barriers to is to ensure that it is two way communication. This means getting regular feedback from the receivers: are they understanding what you are trying to put across?

Non verbal communication The presentation is, perhaps, the one mode of communication that has proved relevant through every technological innovation. Nonverbal signals can increase trust, clarity, and add interest to your presentation when yielded properly. Learning how to become more sensitive to body language and nonverbal cues will make you the best presenter you can be.

Non verbal communication

Non verbal communication 1. Strengthen eye contact. Make eye contact but don t stare. 2. Be presentable. Don t allow sloppy dress, haphazard hair or distracting jewellery drown out your message. 3. Facial expressions. What do your facial expressions communicate? Smile often. 4. Tone of voice 30% of all communication is conveyed through tone of voice! Also, control your voice rate it should be moderate neither too slow not too fast. 5. Posture and gesture. Don t slump uninterested presenter. Examine your gestures.

Improving your non verbal communication Avoid turning your back from the audience while presenting Stand up straight but keep your body relaxed Keep your arms and hands open with palms up to show trustworthiness and honesty When directly speaking to someone in the audience, lean slightly forward towards him/her or tilt your head slightly towards their direction to convey interest

When having to move, move slowly. It s one way to portray you re relaxed, focused and calm Limit repetitive movements. These can be distracting to your presentation Be intentional with your gestures so you can deliberately take advantage of them to communicate meaning without words When presenting, the standard personal space is about 10 12 feet. Ensure you have adequate space to project confidence, credibility and to display appropriate body language.

Verbal communication voice Pace the speed of the words that you speak Speed up for excitement or drama Slow down to add emphasis and clarity Pause to build anticipation and emphasize a point. Accent Always consider that people may not understand your accent. Speak slower. Pause use silence to your advantage Verbal tics Eliminate verbal tics e.g. um, er, ok, etc. Ask friends to notice your tics as you speak and help you eliminate them.

Verbal communication voice Pitch tone and inflection. Be aware that being nervous may narrow the range. Record your voice as you practise. The wider your range of tone the more interesting it is to your audience. High pitch is less credible. Pitch downwards to deliver with authority. Pitch upwards only for questions, not facts. Projection the volume of your voice. Pretend you are talking to person in the last row. Speak loudly to emphasise word or point. How you use your voice affects attentiveness and engagement of our audience.

Effective communicators Have a message with a singular and crystal clear focus. Read an audience and are able to customize their presentation to make that audience want to listen. Engage an audience. Until the audience is engaged, communication has not taken place. Have passion for the subject. They pour every part of their being into the presentation. If the subject is not worthy of your passion, it should be distributed in a memo. Leave the audience in no doubt about how to benefit from the objective of the talk. Call people to action.

Effective communication

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