Communication Skills in Practice

Part One Communication skills - a definition: non-verbal communication - proximity, eye-contact and eye gaze, facial expression, gesture, body posture, head movements; para-lingustic features of communication - tone of voice, quality of voice, volume, intonation and pitch, rate of speech, conversational oil (eg. mm, er); verbal communication - what makes a good verbal communicator?; advanced verbal skills relevant to professionals. Part Two Interviewing: purpose of interviews, scene setting, gathering information, involving the interviewee, completing the interview, dealing with difficult situations, working with interpreters; interviewing skills in context - clinical, appraisal/disciplinary, recruitment and media. Part Three Professional meetings: preparation, communication roles, presenting self; meetings skills in context - business meeting, multidisciplinary, case conference and committees/working parties. Part Four Presentations: preparation, establishing rapport with the audience; effective use of voice, delivering content, using non-verbal communication and effective use of audio visual aids; presentation skills in context - client/carer workshops, presentations to other professionals, lectures, selling your service and presenting your research.