ASSESSMENT
OF COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Abstract
As
a profession, Communication has evolved over many years from what was called
“publicity” to a wide range of activities that now includes such things as:
Public Relations, Internal Communication, Marketing Communication, Events,
Brand Management, Analyst Relations and Advertising. While other professions
have developed skills competency models, very little has been done to identify
the many and varied skills that it takes to be an effective and successful Communication
professional. Because of the lack of standards, guidelines and defined skills,
the profession has suffered. The
assessment of communication skills requires the training supervisor to directly
observe a doctor-patient interaction. It is ideally suited to an outpatient
scenario, but can be used during an in-patient interaction. The training
supervisor and trainee should arrange a time to meet and observe the clinical
interaction. During the interaction the supervisor should complete the assessment
on the following sheet, making notes where appropriate. After the clinical
interaction the supervisor should provide feedback to the trainee based on the
elements assessed, outlining both the positive aspects and areas for
improvement. The supervisor should discuss whether any further training or
support is required for the trainee, or whether further assessment is required
after the implementation of any proposed improvements.
Communication Skills Assessment Tool by Rich Young
As a profession, Communication has evolved over many
years from what was called“publicity” to a wide range of activities that now includes
such things as: Public Relations,Internal Communication, Marketing
Communication, Events, Brand Management, Analyst Relations and
Advertising.While other professions have developed skills competency models,
very little has been done to identify the many and varied skills that it takes
to be an effective and successful Communication professional. Because of the
lack of standards, guidelines and defined skills,the profession has suffered.
Assessment :
Health assessment, a plan of
care that identifies the specific needs of the client and how those needs will
be addressed by the healthcare system
Nursing
assessment, the gathering of information about a patient's
physiological, psychological, sociological, and spiritual status
Psychiatric
assessment, a process of gathering information about a person within
a psychiatric or mental health service with the purpose of making a diagnosis
Psychological
assessment, an examination into a person's mental health by a mental
health professional such as a
psychologist
Risk assessment, the
determination of quantitative or qualitative value of risk related to a
concrete situation and a recognized threat
Tax assessment, value
calculated as the basis for determining the amounts to be paid or assessed for
tax or insurance purposes
Vulnerability
assessment, the process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing
(or ranking) the vulnerabilities in a system
Communication:
Communication (from Latin
commūnicāre,
meaning "to share") is the activity of conveying
information
through the exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech,
visuals, signals, writing, or behavior. It is the meaningful exchange of
information between two or more living creatures.
One definition of communication is “any act by which one person gives to
or receives from another person information about that person's needs, desires,
perceptions, knowledge, or affective states. Communication may be intentional
or unintentional, may involve conventional or unconventional signals, may take
linguistic or non-linguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or other
modes.”
Communication requires a sender, a
message,
and a recipient, although the receiver doesn't have to be present or aware of
the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus
communication can occur across vast distances in time and space. Communication
requires that the communicating parties share an area of communicative
commonality. The communication process is complete once the receiver
understands the sender's message.
Communicating with others involves three primary steps: ◦Thought: First,
information exists in the mind of the sender. This can be a concept, idea,
information, or feelings. Encoding: Next, a message is sent to a receiver in
words or other symbols. Decoding: Lastly, the receiver translates the words or
symbols into a concept or information that a person can understand.
RANZCOG Assessment and Feedback of Communication Skills
What is this
assessment tool?
The Communication Checklist has been designed after a consensus meeting of
some of the world’s principal authorities on the essential communication
elements that make up a successful doctor-patient interaction1. Whilst there
are a large number of tools available to assess communication skills, the
following model, which was designed to be used by medical supervisors and
faculty, was found to be self explanatory, have good inter-observer reliability
and be a reasonably efficient way of providing feedback on trainee’s
communication skills2. Development of the original tool was supported by the
Bayer Institute for Health Care Communication and The Fetzer Institute. The
attached tool is the Kalamazoo Essential Elements Communication Checklist
(adapted).
When to use this
tool.
This tool is designed to provide assistance in providing feedback to any
trainee who maybenefit from improving their communication skills. This may be
in the context of a borderline end of term assessment or from mid-term
feedback,
where communication
skills have been found to be an area of concern. The decision whether it is
appropriate to perform a formal
assessment of communication skills can be made by the training supervisor or
the chair of the regional Training and Accreditation Committee. After
discussing the mid or end of term feedback with the trainee, the training
supervisor should then recommend a formal assessment of communication skills
using the following tool.
Who should use this
tool?
The tool is designed to be used by training supervisors and the assessment
should be done by a Fellow of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. If the training supervisor is unable to
conduct the assessment, it can be done by another nominated Fellow of the
college.
How to use this
tool.
The assessment of communication skills requires the training supervisor to
directly observe a doctor-patient interaction. It is ideally suited to an
outpatient scenario, but can be used during an in-patient interaction. The
training supervisor and trainee should arrange a time to meet and observe the
clinical interaction. During the interaction the supervisor shouldcomplete the
assessment on the following sheet, making notes where appropriate. After the
clinical interaction the supervisor should provide feedback to the trainee
based on the elements assessed, outlining both the positive aspects and areas
for improvement. The supervisor should discuss whether any further training or
support is required for the trainee, or whether further assessment is required
after the implementation of any proposed improvements. If no further assessment
is required, the trainee returns to the normal three and six month assessments.
A copy of the form should be retained in the trainee’s and supervisor’s
records. It need not be returned to College House.
Summary of
Assessment process
Assessments
that are other than satisfactory in the end of term assessment (relating to
communication issues) Or Concerns raised at mid-term assessment regarding Communication
skills
▼
Supervisor to
discuss concern regarding communication
with trainee and
recommend a formal assessment of communication skills
▼
Formal assessment
of clinical interaction arranged
Assessment and
feedback provided using The Communication Checklist below
▼
Strategies for improvement or reassessment discussed if
necessary
Building Effective Interpersonal
Communication Skills: Self-Assessment Exercise
In today's team-oriented workplace, the development of
good interpersonal communication skills is an important key to success.
The following self-assessment
exercise is designed to help you evaluate your own
interpersonal communication skills and style, and provide you with helpful tips
for
becoming a good communicator - and team player!
UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ LANGUAGE CENTRE:
|
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FOR COMMUNICATION
SKILLS GRADE
|
INTERACTION
|
PROFESSIONAL VOCABULARY
|
LANGUAGE
QUALITY
|
FLUENCY
|
PRONUN-CIATION
|
PRESENTATION
|
|
Excellent
(5)
|
Can present ideas articulately and persuasively in a
complex discussion. Sophisticated arguing and turn-taking strategies. Has no
difficulty in understanding idiomatic language use or different registers.
|
Has a very good command of professional vocabulary,
allowing gaps to be readily overcome with circumlocutions.
|
Can consistently maintain a high degree of grammatical
accuracy; errors are rare and difficult to spot. Correct use of idiomatic
expressions and collocations.
|
Can express himself/herself fluently and spontaneously,
almost effortlessly. Only a conceptually difficult subject can hinder a
natural, smooth flow of language. Wide vocabulary evident.
|
Mastery of the sound system of English is obvious. Accurate
pronunciation and intonation in most instances.
|
Student is thoroughly familiar with the topic and can
respond confidently and spontaneously to complex questions. Presentation is
well structured, uses transitional elements, and follows the conventions of
the field. Good eye contact, no reading from his/her paper. Level appropriate
for intended audience.
|
|
Very good
(4)
|
Can successfully present and justify ideas in a formal
discussion. Turn-taking handled appropriately. Can recognise register shifts
and a wide range of idiomatic expressions.
|
Has a good command of professional vocabulary, allowing
gaps to be generally overcome with circumlocutions.
|
Can maintain a good degree of grammatical accuracy;
occasional errors do not impede communication. Largely correct use of
idiomatic expressions and collocations.
|
Fluent and spontaneous, but occasionally needs to search
for expressions or compromise on saying exactly what he/she wants to.
|
Pronunciation and intonation generally accurate, errors do
not cause misunderstanding.
|
Knows the topic well. Can handle complex questions with
relative ease. Presentation is clearly structured and appropriate to the
audience. Consistent use of transitional elements. Good eye contact, minimal
need to refer to papers. Level appropriate for intended audience.
|
|
Good
(3)
|
Keeps up with the discussion and can justify an opinion.
Responds and interacts adequately with other speakers. Uses communication
strategies well when unsure about e.g. idiomatic use.
|
Has an adequate vocabulary to express himself/herself on
matters connected to his/her field.
|
Can communicate with reasonable accuracy and can correct
mistakes if they have led to misunderstanding.
|
Can produce stretches of language with a fairly even tempo.
Although can be hesitant as he/she searches for expressions, there are few
noticeably long pauses.
|
Some inaccuracy in pronunciation and intonation. Problems
with voiced/voiceless consonants, for example.
|
Evidence of a standard three part structure and some use of
transitional elements. Maintains contact with the audience. Level is
appropriate, but the listener is not totally convinced that the presenter
knows his/her topic well.
|
|
Satis-factory
(2)
|
Has some difficulty keeping up with the discussion and
arguing an opinion. Limited turn-taking and use of communication strategies.
|
Limited professional vocabulary.
|
Communication generally successful though limited in terms
of accuracy. Some unresolved misunderstanding.
|
Generally acceptable tempo, but often hesitant as he/she
searches for expressions. Some noticeable pauses.
|
Frequent inaccuracy in pronunciation and intonation. Mother
tongue interference apparent.
|
Some structural weaknesses and only limited transitional
elements. Basic level of acquaintance with the topic.
|
|
Poor
(1)
|
Has marked difficulty in keeping up with the discussion and
contributes only occasionally.
|
Basic professional vocabulary only.
|
Communication characterized by frequent inaccuracies and
misunderstanding.
|
Frequent hesitations and pauses, can produce only short
stretches of language at best
|
Key words regularly mispronounced, strong mother-tongue
influence.
|
Structure lacks coherence. Speaker unfamiliar with topic.
Transitional elements largely missing.
|
|
In-adequate
(0)
|
Severe difficulty in following the discussion and no active
involvement.
|
Professional vocabulary minimal.
|
Communication limited at best.
|
Cannot produce complex sentences or link phrases
coherently.
|
Control of the sound system so weak that comprehension is
difficult.
|
Lacks the features of an acceptable presentation
|
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