Introduction
Communication presents our basic form of conveying our thoughts to another person but how effective is communication in this regard? Communication has been the primary means of transferring and receiving verbal or written messages. It allows people to interact with each other, share their personal opinions, and become able to understand the other person. Over the years, there have been different forms of communication practices, and each practice has brought forward a style with it.
The mention of communication styles raises the question of what a communication style is. Well, communication styles require people to develop relevant communication skills which hold significant value in all fields of life. These skills come in handy whether you are professionally enrolled as a scholar, doctor, lawyer, or engineer. Having a firm grip on communication skills will grant a unique advantage. Communication styles progress when skills as a sound communicator take root and progress.
Discussion
Communication has become part of our daily lives and has proved its importance in multiple ways. The method through which we communicate can provide insight into what impact it has on the other person. Access to being assertive and having excellent command of our communication can permit us to avoid conflict, solve our problems efficiently, positively influence people around us, and allow us to carry on healthy relationships in our lives. Communication styles are further divided into three categories: assertive, aggressive, and persuasive.
Assertive Communication Style
The assertive communication style presents the concept of adopting a practice of presenting clear expressions related to thoughts, and the way people feel about something or someone but pursuing this style in a manner that doesn’t present people in a demanding way. The practice of being assertive but doing so in a less demanding way is where this style gains its edge. This thought is best conveyed through the message “We both matter, so let’s try and figure it out.” Adapting to the criteria of being an assertive communicator assists people in getting what they want, keeping themselves clear from conflicts, and improving their chances of maintaining a healthy relationship with others. In other words, it creates a “win-win” scenario but clarifies that the second person’s win depends on the first person’s win. Being an assertive communicator can make people easy to understand, allow their thoughts to be spoken out properly, and decline things they wouldn’t want to do while keeping them guilt-free.
Assertive Communication and Nursing Theory
Being assertive as a communicator has its perks, and this communication style has proven to be quite helpful in nursing and healthcare. Fields related to Healthcare require an ongoing communication process since nurses, doctors, and support staff are always communicating with their patients. A good communication style can ensure that patients feel comfortable around them. Nursing, in particular, needs a better command over their communication skills because they are constantly communicating with their patients, checking up on them, and providing them with the needed assistance. Being an assertive communicator helps nurses interact effectively with their patients since each interaction becomes an essential therapeutic chance to assist and educate the patient, teaching them how to bring about a change for themselves (Lin et al., 2004). The theoretical framework for nursing includes three important parts: orientation, working, and termination. The first phase deals with the concept of carrying out a one-sided conversation, which includes their identification, elaborating on their task, the nature of it, and scheduling the meeting. It will assist the nurse in carefully researching their patient and identifying the right tone for future communication. The second working phase relates to developing proper plans, patient-related education, and learning the right kind of physical care for them (Zerwekh, &, Garneau 2017). The last phase deals merely with summarizing and accounting for the accomplished work.
Assertiveness is an essential characteristic for nurses and is key in all three phases of the nursing theoretical framework. An assertive communication style allows nurses to achieve an accurate patient care method and assists in creating a trusting interpersonal relationship that will enable them to forward proper suggestions, have the ability to communicate with their patients in an open manner and present an assertive attitude for their care.
A perspective of interpersonal communication from the nursing point of view presents the possibility of working and improving the ability to communicate properly. Nurses with a leading command over interpersonal skills can assist in interprofessional development, guiding other team members, and teaching them the needed things to carry out proper communication with their clients. An interprofessional aspect of an organization has proven its worth and has allowed people to educate themselves in learning the required practices. Not only nursing, but interpersonal communication and collaboration also assist people in other professional fields (Lingard et al., 2005), regardless of whether it is related to engineering, information technology, or business study-related career. A sound understanding of interpersonal communication styles can allow them to interact profoundly, share their queries, and acquire assistance on their issues.
Conclusions
Assertive communication among the three major communication styles has proven to be one of the most effective techniques with its perks. Assertive style explains the practice of conveying thoughts clearly and precisely, being less demanding in your communication, and getting things done the way you want. This style has also proven its importance for nurses since the theoretical framework in nursing with its three parts implements the practice of assertive communication.
References
Lin, Y. R., Shiah, I. S., Chang, Y. C., Lai, T. J., Wang, K. Y., & Chou, K. R. (2004). Evaluation of an assertiveness training program on nursing and medical students’ assertiveness, self-esteem, and interpersonal communication satisfaction. Nurse education today, 24(8), 656-665.
Lingard, L., Espin, S., Rubin, B., Whyte, S., Colmenares, M., Baker, G. R., … & Reznick, R. (2005). Getting teams to talk: development and pilot implementation of a checklist to promote interprofessional communication in the OR. BMJ Quality & Safety, 14(5), 340-346.
Zerwekh, J., & Garneau, A. Z. (2017). Nursing Today-E-Book: Transition and Trends. Elsevier Health Sciences.
