This document provides a recap of weeks 2-12 of communicating with clients in a community services organisation. It discusses defining communication, models of communication including the communicator, message, channels, feedback and noise. It also covers types of communication, cultural appropriateness, maintaining confidentiality, respecting diversity, avoiding discrimination, gathering information from services, responding to messages, and presenting a positive image to the public.

1. CHCCOM201C
Communicate with people
accessing the services of the
organisation –
Week 13
22/10/2103
Recap Weeks 2 - 12

2. Element 1 – Communicate
appropriately with clients of
the organisation

3. 1. Communicating with clients
Week 2
Defining Communication 23/7/2013
Mostly we don’t stop to think about how we
communicate with others.
We simply assume that we just know how to do it
However we don’t always get the message across
Communication is a complex process with the
potential for things to go wrong (miscommunication)

4. Communication
Communication skills are so important within the
Community Services Industry
We need to be able to relate to our clients, colleagues and
other community agencies in the best possible way
Communicating with clients, their families, colleagues
and other organisation can be done by;
Face to face
Over the phone
Individually or within a group setting
At a meeting or conference
By writing (e-mails, letters, memos, reports etc)

5. Week 3
Types of Communication
30/7/2013
Communication can be verbal and non-verbal
Usually we refer to verbal communication as
relating to the words that are said
Non-verbal communication includes all the
messages that are sent not using words;
What are some forms of non-verbal
communication?

6. Week 4
Models of Communication
6/8/2013
Models of communication are:
Communicator – this is the initiator or sender of the
message
Messages – combinations of verbal and non-verbal signs and
symbols that we use as a means to communicate
Channels – these are our senses through which we send and
receive messages – vision, hearing, touch, taste & smell

7. Models of Communication
•Models of communication are:
Feedback – this is provided by the receiver and lets the
sender know the reaction to the message ie. Is the message
understood
Noise – in the context of interpersonal communication,
noise is a distortion, interruption or loss of the intended
meaning of a message. Noise can be physical but it can also
be emotional, idealogical or attitudinal. That is, our own
thoughts, feelings, attitudes, values, beliefs and world view
can affect how we listen to or hear the message being
communicated.
.

8. Communicate information in a
culturally appropriate way
It is important that our interactions and strategies do not
exclude any individual.
Different cultures communicate in particular ways
These differences are obvious in how they greet others,
how they take turns when speaking, how they address
each other, what is said and how they express their
feelings and react to the feelings of others
To work effectively and to take into consideration the
culture of colleagues and clients, we need to be aware of:

9. Communicate information in a
culturally appropriate way
Non-verbal communication and culture—Gestures,
movements, tone of voice, eye contact and facial
expressions vary in meaning across cultures. In India,
for example, shaking the head from side to side is an
indication of agreement rather than disagreement
which is how we understand it in Australia.
Personal space—Distancing oneself or getting closer to
clients may be misinterpreted as coldness or
inappropriately intimate or pushy. The gender of the
client and worker is also an important factor in how
personal space is utilised.

10. Communicate information in a
culturally appropriate way
Eye contact—There are many cultural variations of what
eye contact means. In some cultures such as Mexican,
Japanese, Korean and many indigenous Australian
cultures, avoidance of eye contact means respect. This is
sometimes misinterpreted as not listening or being rude
 Use of silence—Different cultures use silences differently.
Arabic people often regard silence as a time to collect
private thoughts; Russians, Spanish and French might
regard silence as indicating a common agreement or
shared view; while in Asian cultures silence is often used
as a sign of respect

11. Communicate information in a
culturally appropriate way
Cultural variation in interpretation of social issues—For
example, people might have a different interpretation of
issues such as what constitutes a marriage or a marriage
separation. In some cultures a woman may regard herself
as not being separated from her husband, even though the
husband has left, simply because they are still legally
married.
Cultural responses to emotions—Different cultures have
different rules about how to respond to emotions.
Touching the hand of someone crying might be acceptable
in our culture but in others, offering tissues or a glass of
water could be adequate.

12. Communication
To be an effective communicator we need to be very
aware of our own communication strengths and
weaknesses
You will need to regularly reflect on the interactions you
have with clients, co-workers and friends to assess what
works and what barriers might be present

13. Week 5 13/8/2013
Effective Communication
This occurs when the message sent is received as the
sender intended it.
This is achieved by the content of the message
(verbal) and the non-verbal cues matching each other
This means the messages are congruent – a match
between verbal and non-verbal
If we want to be effective communicators it is
important that we send messages that are
congruent

14. Barriers to effective communication
There are lots of behaviours that we all engage in that
have a negative impact on communication
Following are behaviours that inhibit effective
communication
criticising (blaming)
praising
name calling (labelling)
diagnosing
ordering
moralising
excessive questioning
threatening
advising
diverting
reassuring logical argument

15. Barriers to effective communication
Diverting would be the most commonly used
roadblock to effective communication
Diverting occurs when you change the conversation
to something you want to talk about i.e. Changing the
subject

16. Week 6 20/8/2013
Components of good listening
Giving full attention to the speaker
Putting other thoughts temporarily aside in order to
concentrate on what is being said.
Resisting distractions.
Not just listening to the words but 'tuning in' to the
feelings behind them – the feelings are just as
important as the words themselves.
Giving non-verbal signals which indicate attention
and interest (e.g nods, eye contact, appropriate facial
expressions)

17. Components of good listening
(cont)
Listening to all the other person has to say, rather than
tuning out halfway through to plan your response.
Being able to suspend making an opinion or
judgement about what is being said and
concentrating on what is being said and NOT your
reaction to it.
Checking that the message you received is the one that
the sender intended by using questions and checking
skills.

18. Components of good listening
SPEED EYE-CONTACT
GESTURE AND POSTURE....The movements we make
with our head and hands can influence the
communication we have with people.

19. Components of good listening
SPEED EYE-CONTACT
GESTURE AND POSTURE....The movements we make
with our head and hands can influence the
communication we have with people.

20. Components of good listening
S
Sit or position yourself so you can see
the person
O
Open body language
L
Lean towards the person
V
Verbalise agreement – ummm, really?
etc
E
Eye contact

21. Components of good listening
Communicating to clarify meaning
When we want to learn more about what
someone is telling us or want to make sure
that we know what they are saying we will
ask them questions.
Closed vs open questions.

22. Components of good listening
Communicating to clarify meaning
Closed questions can be answered in a few words
or with a yes or no. They are useful for obtaining
information and helping to focus the
communication.
Open questions are those that allow for and
encourages others to talk and help them to be
more specific or to express their feelings about
something.

23. 2. Communication Skills –
Week 7
Client confidentiality and privacy
27/8/2013

24. Maintaining Confidentiality
There are certainly times when staff discussion
must take place regarding children/families but it
would be on a “need to know” basis.
In other words not all staff may need to know what
is happening.
Can you think of any confidentiality matters where
not all staff may need to know?

25. Maintaining Confidentiality
There will also be occasions when ALL STAFF are required to
know about certain matters.
Can you think of some examples?
Perhaps all staff may only need to know part of a confidential
matter.
Whatever the case, the information that is shared with you
must remain confidential.

26. Maintaining Confidentiality
You may not always be told certain information is
deemed confidential
You must assume that ALL information is exactly that
and not for you to discuss or share with anyone.

27. Exceptions to the rule of confidentiality
1) Making records available to the police if they have a
warrant to inspect documents
2) Making information available in the case of suspected
or confirmed physical or sexual abuse
3) Responding to a summons or subpoena
4) Responding to a request under the freedom of
information legislation

28. 2. Communication Skills –
Week 8
3/9/2013
RESPECTING DIVERSITY
AVOIDING DISCRIMMINATION IN
COMMUNICATION

29. Respecting diversity
PEOPLE ARE ALL DIFFERENT!
In the workplace you will come across people who are
very different from you.

30. Respecting diversity (cont)
Differences are due to:
1) Our own individual preferences;
2) Our family backgrounds;
3) Our own talents, skills and abilities.
These factors have an impact on how we differ from
others. They are neither right or wrong – they are simply
differences.

31. Respecting diversity (cont)
Egocentric and ethnocentric worldviews
1) We see what happens around us from our own point of
view about things and,
2) we assume that this is the way things really are....
HOWEVER, ARE THESE ASSUMPTIONS CORRECT?

32. Respecting diversity (cont)
Egocentric and ethnocentric worldviews
The reality is that people have
many different points of view
and their culture and
life experiences
affect their point of view.

33. Respecting diversity (cont)
HOW MUCH DO YOU FEEL YOUR VIEWS ON
DIVERSITY AND, HOW YOU ACCEPT DIFFERENCES IN
OTHER PEOPLE CAN AFFECT THE CHILDREN YOU
ARE WORKING CLOSELY WITH?

34. AVOIDING
DISCRIMMINATION
IN
COMMUNICATION

35. Avoiding discrimination in communication
(Being treated unfairly because of who they are)
Discrimination happens in different forms – some
examples in Australian history are....
Gender – females were not allowed to vote until the
early 1900's
Sexual orientation – same sex couples are not
permitted to marry
Racial background – in Australia, government policy
until the 1960's (and up until 1973) promoted the White
Australia Policy

36. Avoiding discrimination in communication
(cont)
Religious belief – no vegetarian alternatives were
provided to meet the religious dietary requirements until
recently
Cultural background – the wearing of head scarves
(hajib), was not permitted in some occupations (e.g.
female officers within policing) until recently.

37. Avoiding discrimination in communication
(cont)
In our day to day communication, we can avoid being
discriminatory by paying attention to our words and
actions.
We need to use communication that puts values into
practice e.g. not calling anyone a spastic if they do
something silly....
What can we do to be respectful?

38. 3. Accessing relevant information –
Week 9
10/9/2013
GATHERING INFORMATION FROM A
SERVICE

39. GATHERING INFORMATION FROM A SERVICE
Pamphlets
Information booklets
Information videos
Websites
Policy documents

40. 3. Accessing relevant information –
Week 10
17/9/2013
Providing appropriate referrals Pp 31 – 35 CHCCCOM201C Learner Guide Version 1
RESPONDING TO MESSAGES
APPROPRIATELY

41. Responding to messages appropriately
 Types of messages
 Written messages
 Verbal messages
 Messages reaching the desired person
Providing appropriate referrals

42. Responding to messages appropriately
 Types of messages
A variety of methods of transferring and receiving
messages exist.
These include verbal, visual and written forms.

43. Element 2 – Present a positive
image of the service to the
public

44. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
When working in a community
service agency we become
representatives of that agency.


45. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
When answering the phone in a work setting,
it is important to give a caller the following
information 
A greeting;

The service name;

Your name.

46. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
Using names

When speaking to clients – especially during
the first contact, it is important to address the
client by name and to be more formal when
you first meet people.
When first speaking to them – use their full
name or the name they have asked to be
addressed by.


47. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
Explaining processes

When working with clients it is also
important to give them details about how long
it will take to assist them – this is particularly
important if you are working in an agency
situation.
Giving indications about time and explaining
what you are doing in simple language with
the client will help them to feel valued and
respected.


48. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
Being courteous even when the client isn't

This is quite a common occurrence when
working in the community services industry.
As mentioned in earlier topics, there will be
times when you will need to deal with clients
who are angry and upset or who are blaming
you for things that may be beyond your
control.


49. COMMUNICATING WITH THE PUBLIC
Personal presentation

Each service will have a code of dress.
This can often be listed within the code of
conduct or professional listing of expectations.

This means that there is acceptable and
unacceptable clothing and footwear.
