Communication Skills in English for

Pharmacists

Course 2
Introduction to Communication / Components of
Communication / Factors that Affect Communication

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Breaking down communication allows
us to examine the different components
we should consider when we are
communicating.

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1. Verbal communication
2. Voice management (Paralanguage)
3. Non-verbal communication
4. Active Listening
5. Cultural Awareness

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1. Verbal communication
At times doctors may use phrases that the
patient doesnt understand. It is important for
a doctor to pick up on this quickly and to
rephrase things so the patient can understand.
Communication strategies such as clarifying,
help to maintain communication or prevent
communication breakdown.
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 2. Voice management (Paralanguage)

The way in which we use our voice can also

influence the message that we send, i.e. its not
just what you say but how you say it.
It can add extra meaning to what is actually
being said or even contradict or undermine it.
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3. Non-verbal communication: Brickly (2003):
Just as the doctor is observing the patient,
the patient will also be watching the doctor.
Posture, eye contact, gestures, as well as
words, send messages
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Touch

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Proximity

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Eye contact

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Environment

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Clothing and accessories

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Facial expression

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Orientation

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Posture

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The meaning of non-verbal behaviour must be
considered in the context in which it occurs. Authors
have argued that non-verbal behavior, as
communication skill, is meaningful only if the
context of behaviour is taken into account.
Incomplete or narrow perspectives regarding others
or ones own behaviour may lead to
misinterpretation of actions observed or performed.
On the other hand, careful and reliable applications
of non-verbal behaviour can enrich and enlighten
ones understanding and control of communication
in a variety of situation role and cultural settings.
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One of the major problems in focusing on the
interpretation of non-verbal behavior is to treat it as a
separate, independent, and absolute form of
communication. This view of the topic is too
simplistic

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Ekman and Friesen (1969) provided a general classification for
behavioral messages:

- The Informative act that results in certain interpretations on the

part of the receiver without any active or conscious intent on the
part of the sender. Thus, an individuals non-behaviour is
unintentionally giving off signals that may be either correctly
or incorrectly interpreted by the decoder.
-The Communicative act in this case the decoder is intentionally
attempting to send a specific message to a receiver

Goffman suggested that we are able to stop giving messages, but

cannot stop giving off information. It is hard to distinguish
varying degrees of conscious intent as opposed to accidental
motivated behavior.

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4. Active Listening

How can you show that you are actively

listening?

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5. Cultural Awareness
Customs, world view, language, kinship
system, social organization or other
taken-for-granted day to day practices of
a people which set that group apart as a
distinctive group.
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Cultural awareness means recognizing that your beliefs,
habits and attitudes are inherently biased and can be
puzzling to others. It also means being tolerant of
difference, being flexible and willing to embrace
change. However, cultural awareness does not mean
having to leave your personal beliefs behind. It
means realizing that language and culture are
inextricably linked and, as such, cannot be
separated. Lack of cultural awareness can result in
unintentionally offending others.
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It is often said that communication and
culture are inseparable. To be
understood, both must be studied together.
Culture cannot be known without a study
of communication, and communication can
only be understood with an understanding
of the culture it supports.
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Intercultural Communication Competence

Intercultural communication competence refers
to ones skill in facilitating successful
intercultural communication outcomes in terms
of satisfaction and other positive assessments of
the interaction and the interaction partner (Y.Y.
Kim, 2005)
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Self-awareness ability to use
information about yourself in puzzling
situations, to understand how others see
you and use that information to cope
with difficult situations.

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Self-respect self-confidence or due
respect for yourself, your character and
your conduct.

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Interaction how effectively you
communicate with people

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Empathy - viewing things through
another persons eyes or being aware of
other peoples feelings.

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Adaptability how fast you adjust to
unfamiliar environments or to norms
other than your own.

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Certainty ability to deal with situations
that demand that you act in one way
even though your feelings tell you
something else; the greater your capacity
to accept contradictory situations, the
more you are able to deal with them
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Initiative being open to new experiences

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Acceptance tolerance or a willingness
to accept things that vary from what you
are familiar with.

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Definitions of intercultural competence
more grounded in communication have
tended to stress the development of skills
that transform one from a monocultural
person into a multicultural person. The
multicultural person is one who respects
cultures and has tolerance for differences
(Belay, 1999; Chen & Starosta, 1996).
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Chen, for instance, identified four skills
areas: personality strength, communication
skills, psychological adjustment, and
cultural awareness.
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Personality strength Effective
communicators must know themselves
well, and, through their self awareness,
initiate positive attitudes. Individuals must
express a friendly personality to be
competent in intercultural communication.
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Communication skills Intercultural communication
skills require message skills, behavioral flexibility,
interaction management, and social skills. Message skills
refer to the ability to understand and use the language and
feedback. Behavioral flexibility is the ability to select an
appropriate behavior in diverse contexts. Interaction
management emphasizes a persons other-oriented ability
to interaction, such as attentiveness and responsiveness.
Social skills are empathy (the ability to think the same
thoughts) and identity maintenance (the ability to
maintain a counterparts identity by communicating back
an accurate understanding of that persons identity. In
other words, a competent communicator must be able to
deal with diverse people in different situations.
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Psychological adjustment Effective
communicators must be able to adjust to
new environments. They must be able to
handle the feelings of culture shock,
such as frustration, stress, and alienation in
ambiguous situations caused by new
environments.
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Cultural awareness Individuals must
understand the social customs and social
system of the host culture. Understanding
how a people think and behave is essential
for effective communication with them.
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CASE STUDY
A child from the Hmong community (originating
South-Africa) living in the USA was born with a
clubfoot. Doctors thought this would not only
cause social embarrassment, but also make
ambulation difficult for the child, and so
recommended an operation to reshape the foot.
However, the family thought that by fixing the
foot, it would bring shame and punishment on
both the family and the Hmong community and so
refused treatment. The family went to the Supreme
Court to defend their right to refuse treatment.
(Adapted from Developing Self-Awareness in
CASAnet Library: Cultural Competency) 37

IN CONCLUSION verbal, non-verbal
communication, listening, voice
management and cultural awareness all
play an important part in helping to make
communication more accurate, effective
and supportive.

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Communication is also influenced by

Person Factors

Situation Factors

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I.1. Person Factors: Personality

Pervin and John (2001): Those characteristics of the

person that account for consistent patterns of feeling,
thinking and behaving.

We need to interact with others for a period of time
before making judgments about their personality

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I.2. Person Factors: Gender

During social interactions we tend to

respond differently to, and having
different expectations of, others depending
upon whether they are male or female.
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- All cultures recognize male / female as a
fundamental divide and accord different sets of
characteristics and behavioral expectations.

- The first question asked after the birth of a
baby is usually whether it is a boy or a girl.

Sexual differences are then perpetuated by the
way in which infants are dressed and responded
to by adults; Romaine (1999): By the age of 2
years, children can readily distinguish males
from females on the basis of purely cultural cues
such as hairstyle and clothing.
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I.3. Person Factors: Age

There has been an increasing research into the field of
social gerontology. One reason for this is that social
aging how we behave as social actors, towards others,
and even how we align ourselves with or come to
understand the signs of difference or change as we age
are phenomena achieved primarily through
communication experiences.

Skilled individuals therefore take the age of the target
(and of course their own age) into consideration when
framing their responses.
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I.4. Person Factors: Appearance

The physical appearance of others in terms of body,
size, shape, attractiveness, also affects our behavior and
expectation. People are judged upon their appearance
from a very early age (nursery school children have been
shown to exhibit an aversion to chubby individuals and
greater liking for physically attractive peers.

A range of research studies has shown that being rated as
attractive has positive benefits. These include being seen
as more popular, intelligent, friendly and more
interesting to talk to.
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II.1. Situation Factors: Goal structure

the goals we seek are influenced by the

situation in which we are interacting

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II.2. Situation Factors: Roles

In any given situation, people play, and are
expected to play, different roles, which carry
with them sets of expectations and behaviour,
attitudes, feelings, and values. Thus, a doctor is
expected to behave in a thorough, caring fashion,
to be concerned about patients health, and to
treat their problems in confidence. 46
II.3. Situation Factors: Rules

Social interaction involves rules that have
to be followed if a successful outcome is to
be achieved. Professionals must be aware
not only of the rules of the situation they
encounter, but also how to deal with
clients who break them. 47
II.4. Situation Factors: Repertoire of elements

Different types of behaviour are more or

less appropriate in different situations;
therefore it is important for professionals
to develop a range of behavioural
repertoires. 48
II.5. Situation Factors: Language and Speech

There are linguistic variations associated with
social situations with some requiring a higher
degree of language formality. Giving a lecture,
being interviewed for a managerial position, or
chairing a board meeting all involve a more
formal, deliberate, elaborated use of language
than having a chat with a friend over coffee. 49
II.6. Situation Factors: Physical environment

The nature of environment influences
behaviour. Humans, like all animals, feel
more secure on home territory. People
usually feel more at ease, and therefore
talk more freely, in warm environments
(soft seats, concealed lights, carpets,
curtains) 50
II.7. Situation Factors: Culture
1. Culture has been shown to have a definite
influence on how interpersonal skills are
enacted

Based on the beliefs and values of culture, we
learn not only what are appropriate interaction
scripts within our culture, but also the
meanings that should be assigned to these
interactions (Pecchioni, 2004).
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Cultural expertise refers to the ability to
adapt ones responses appropriately across
different cultural settings. It necessitates
the development of a knowledge and
understanding of the cultural and
subcultural norms, beliefs, values and
responses of those with whom we are
interacting. Being a skilled person includes
the possession of a high level of such
cultural expertise.
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