What is communication for nurses

Communication is a vital element in Nursing in all areas of activity

and in all its interventions such as prevention, treatment, therapy,
rehabilitation, education and health promotion

The patient conveys their fears and concerns to their nurse and
helps them make a correct nursing diagnosis.

You can communicate a powerful message without saying a word.

Non-verbal nurse communication skills include making eye contact
and controlling the tone of your voice. Appropriate body language,
posture, and simply adding a smile can go a long way in nurse
communication with both patients and colleagues.
 Different types of Communication For Nurses
1. Non-Verbal Communication
You can communicate a powerful message without saying a word. Non-verbal nurse
communication skills include making eye contact and controlling the tone of your voice.
Appropriate body language, posture, and simply adding a smile can go a long way in nurse
communication with both patients and colleagues.

2. Active Listening
Listen to understand; not solely to respond—this is one of the best principles for active
listening.
When speaking to a colleague or patient, lean forward and nod your head to let them know you
are engaged. Maintain eye contact.
Carry your body in a relaxed posture; do not cross your arms.

3. Personal Relationships
With practice, you can learn to show care, compassion, and kindness while obtaining
and providing information to patients.
You must be able to demonstrate a level of interest in the collaborative relationship. This will
help the patient feel accepted and build their trust in you.
4. Inspire Trust
Always keep your word. Never make promises you may not be able to keep. When you
are with a patient, be present.
Listen to your patients and take all their complaints or concerns seriously.

5. Show Compassion
Treat patients with respect and dignity. Being in the hospital can be scary.
Patients may feel depressed, helpless or even frightened. Put yourself in the shoes of your
patient. Doing so will help you convey empathy while using your nurse communication skills.

6. Cultural Awareness
Every patient is unique. They may come from different countries, cultures or religions.
Common practices and gestures are not accepted by all cultures. Consider your actions and strive
for cultural awareness every time you communicate with a patient.

7. Educating Patients
This nurse communication skill is at the heart of nursing. You must be able to explain
disease processes, medications, and self-care techniques to patients and their families.
Break down medical jargon into simple terms. Education should be collaborative. Ask patients
questions and use teach-back techniques when possible.
8. Written Communication
This is essential for nurse-to-nurse communication. Always ensure your written
communication is concise and easy to understand.
Write in complete sentences that are grammatically correct. Only use approved abbreviations
and terminology that is universal.

9. Presentation Skills
Nurses in leadership positions are not the only ones who need this skill. You may be
asked to present to nurses or other staff members on a small or large scale.
Plan your message. Create pleasing visual aids that add value to the presentation. Know your
audience and understand what they want from your presentation.

10. Verbal Communication

Verbal nurse communication skills are of the utmost importance. Always consider your
audience.
Speak in clear, complete sentences and consider your tone when speaking.
Nurse communication skills are indispensable to your success as a nurse, and with practice, you
can become a nurse communication expert!
Writing Basic
Patient Notes
 We should keep in mind a few core guidelines when we write notes on any
patient:
• Always use a consistent format:
Make a point of starting each record with patient identification information. Each
entry should also include your full name, the date and the time of the report.

• Keep notes timely:

Write your notes within 24 hours after supervising the patient's care.
Writing down your observations and noting care given must be done while it is
fresh in your memory, so no faulty information is passed along.

• .Use standard abbreviations:

Write out complete terms whenever possible. If you must use an
abbreviation, stick to standard medical abbreviations familiar to other nurses or
the attending physician.

• Remain objective:
Write down only what you see and hear. Avoid noting subjective
comments or giving your own interpretation on the patient's condition.
• Note all communication:
Jot down everything important you hear regarding a patient's health
during conversations with family members, doctors and other nurses. This will ensure
all available information on the patient has been charted. Always designate
communication with quotation marks.

• Ignore trivial information:

Everything included in your nurses notes should directly relate to your
patient's health. Do not note information on your chart that does not pertain to their
immediate care.

• Keep it simple:
Notes are not meant to be a work of art. They are designed to be quickly
read, so nurses and doctors on the next shift can be caught up to speed on a
patient. Focus only on specific information relevant to symptoms you are charting.
Do not go into depth on the patient's medical history.

• Write clearly:
When you do handwritten notes, make an effort to keep your handwriting
clear and readable. Illegible handwriting can lead to a patient receiving the
wrong medication or an incorrect dosage of the right medication. This can have
serious, or even fatal, consequences.
• Progress Notes with meaning.pdf
• Journalists are the great communicators of our society. They are
essentially the eyes and ears for the general public, constantly
conveying messages about the state of the fast-changing world
around us. Journalists, including reporters, correspondents, and
broadcast news analysts, as professionals that “inform the public
about news and events happening internationally, nationally,
and locally.” To communicate information about the world
around us regarding politics, economics, social issues, current
events and popular culture, journalists use any mode of
communication available to them including television, radio,
websites and print work.
1. Determine your hook.
• Why are readers clicking on this content? What problem are they trying to solve?
What’s new or different? Determine which aspects are most relevant and
important, and lead with that.

2. Be clear and succinct.

• Simple language is best. Mark Twain said it best: “Don’t use a five-dollar word
when a fifty-cent word will do.”

3. Write in the active voice.

• Use strong verbs and decided language. Compare “Dog bites man” to “A man
was bitten by a dog” — the passive voice is timid and bland (for the
record, Stephen King feels the same way).
4. Address the reader as “you.”
• This is the writer’s equivalent to breaking the fourth wall in theatre, and while
some editors will disagree with me on this one, I stand by it. People know you’re
writing to them. Not only is it OK to address them as such, I think it helps create a
personal connection with them.

5. Put attribution second.

• What’s the nugget, the little gem you’re trying to impart? Put that information
first, and then follow it up with who said it. The “according to” part is almost
always secondary to what he or she actually said.

6. Go short and punchy.

• Take my recent lead for this Marketing Land post: “Freelance writers like
working with me. Seriously, they do.” Short and sweet makes the reader want to
know where you’re going with that.

7. If you’re stuck, find a relevant stat.

• If you’re trying to be clever or punchy or brilliant and it’s just not happening,
search for an interesting stat related to your topic and lead with that. This is
especially effective if the stat is unusual or unexpected, as in, “A whopping 80
percent of Americans are in debt.”
8. Or, start with a story.
• If beginning with a stat or fact isn’t working for your lead, try leading with an
anecdote instead. People absorb data, but they feel stories.

9. Borrow this literary tactic.

• Every good story has these three elements: a hero we relate to, a challenge (or
villain) we fear, and an ensuing struggle. Find these elements in the story you’re
writing and lead with one of those.

10. When you’re staring at a blank screen.

• Just start. Start writing anything. Start in the middle of your story. Once you
begin, you can usually find your lead buried a few paragraphs down in this
“get-going” copy. Your lead is in there — you just need to cut away the other
stuff first.
• Tour Guides offer company and information to individuals or groups of
travelers. They are knowledgeable and savvy about the places they
show to tourists. On tours that include sightseeing historical buildings,
sites, and locations, Tour Guides must be able to provide travelers with
all the information they should know about the place they’re visiting.
Most Tour Guides work on a pre-established route and visit a selected
list of locations. They are usually employed by tour operators, hotels,
resorts, and other establishments such as museums or historical
landmarks. However, some Tour Guides work independently or are
self-employed.
•
Tour Guides are expected to provide tourists with information
regarding the place they’re visiting, answer questions they may have,
and adhere to a pre-designed route to avoid getting lost.
• Punctual
A good tour guide needs to have a strong grasp of time. They
shouldn’t make customers wait for them, and they should end the tour on
time.

• Organized
Besides dressing themselves well, this involves setting
expectations prior to the tour – informing customers of location, time,
and length of tour, what they need to bring, and any rules or special
considerations (if your online booking system doesn’t automate this for
you). Your tour guide needs to be able to run through the structure for
each tour in advance.
• Sensitive to group needs
Your perfect guide will be attentive and respectful to everyone
in the group, making sure that everyone can see and hear well. Do
they have a relaxed manner, speaking clearly and with confidence?
Can they make sure that everyone is as safe and comfortable as
possible?
• Prepared for medical emergencies
Unexpected situations can crop up where medical assistance is
needed. Every guide should know First Aid and carry the appropriate
equipment. Can your candidate attend to the injured using this
equipment?
• Accurate
Your guide must be able to recite facts from memory and be
clear on delivering them. Facts have to be accurate – otherwise, they
should be able to say they aren’t sure and get back to the customer
asking.
• Multilingual
At the very least, tour guides must have a conversational grasp
of commonly encountered languages. This knowledge becomes
extremely useful if someone has an emergency.

• Knows audience
A good tour guide will take the initiative to learn about
customers on the tour, then include universally relevant information to
tailor the examples they use to make it more personal.

• Leadership skills
Since they’re managing a group of people, the ability to have
a certain level of authority is crucial. Tour guides must be able to lead
a group of people without being condescending, snobby, or
aggressive.
• Promote your country
A good tour commentary must promote your country as a top
holiday destination. As a tour guide, you are your country’s Ambassador.
You are the first point of contact and a local friend.
• Educational But Not Boring
Another component of a good tour commentary is that it should
provide an opportunity for tourists to learn valuable history, culture and
lifestyle of your country. A good commentary will make visitors feel as if
they see the historical events from his own eyes.
• Informative But Not Overwhelming
A good tour commentary should provide much relevant
information. Tour guides can help tourists to absorb the information by
asking questions after you deliver the commentary
• Good Stories
Storytelling is an important part of a good tour commentary. A
tour guide’s job is to communicate information and provide details of the
place to travellers. However, the above is more of narration or
addressing a group. A good tour commentary is filled with good stories.
Stories can include key events which have taken places in the area,
myths, legends or even personal stories and real-life experiences.

• Don’t worry about being perfect.

People don’t expect you to be perfect. Set the stage for human
imperfection by acknowledging that people who may know more than
you should speak up and share their knowledge with the group. The
more interactive the tour is, the better!