Departments › Social Work › Module I › Communication Skills

Communication Skills

Social Work · Level 5  ·  5 Chapters

Compiled by: Charles Mwangi

Can I download Communication Skills notes as a PDF?

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What Communication Skills covers

Communication Skills for Social Work Level 5 prepares you to speak with clients, families and colleagues in a way that is clear, respectful and recorded properly. It begins with the communication process, principles, channels, barriers, information flow and organisational policies. Written communication covers types, elements and organisational requirements. Non-verbal skills cover body language, gestures, posture and the workplace dressing code. Oral communication covers pathways, questioning techniques, etiquette and active listening, and group discussion covers establishing rapport, facilitating resolution of issues, action plans, turn-taking, conflict resolution and team-work.

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Careers after Communication Skills

This unit prepares you for social service roles where listening, writing and speaking decide whether a client gets help.

  • Children's homes in Nyeri - You listen actively to children, use calm body language and posture, and write clear incident and progress notes.
  • County social services offices in Kakamega - You select the right channel for a referral, follow written communication requirements and keep to the dress code.
  • Community-based support groups in Kisii - You establish rapport, facilitate group discussions, give everyone a turn and help members agree on action plans.
  • School guidance and welfare programmes in Thika - You use effective questioning with pupils and parents and handle disagreements with tact.
  • Self-employment running community training workshops in Machakos - You apply oral communication and group organisation techniques and earn from fees or sponsored sessions.

Channels, writing, non-verbal cues, speaking and group work are used in every one of these settings.

Chapters

1
Apply communication channels
8 topics
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2
Apply written communication skills
3 topics
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3
Apply non-verbal skills
3 topics
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4
Apply oral communication skills
4 topics
Open chapter →
5
Apply group discussion skills
7 topics
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What Communication Skills covers: 25 main topics in 5 chapters

1. Apply communication channels

  1. 1.1 Communication Process
  2. 1.2 Principles of effective communication
  3. 1.3 Channels/medium/modes of communication
  4. 1.4 Factors to consider when selecting a channel of communication
  5. 1.5 Barriers to effective communication
  6. 1.6 Flow/patterns of communication
  7. 1.7 Sources of information
  8. 1.8 Organizational policies

2. Apply written communication skills

  1. 2.1 Types of written communication
  2. 2.2 Elements of communication
  3. 2.3 Organization requirements for written communication

3. Apply non-verbal skills

  1. 3.1 Utilize body language and gestures
  2. 3.2 Apply body posture
  3. 3.3 Apply workplace dressing code

4. Apply oral communication skills

  1. 4.1 Types of oral communication pathways
  2. 4.2 Effective questioning techniques
  3. 4.3 Workplace etiquette
  4. 4.4 Active listening

5. Apply group discussion skills

  1. 5.1 Establishing rapport
  2. 5.2 Facilitating resolution of issues
  3. 5.3 Developing action plans
  4. 5.4 Group organization techniques
  5. 5.5 Turn-taking techniques
  6. 5.6 Conflict resolution techniques
  7. 5.7 Team-work

Revise this unit

Exam-style questions 70 Written to CDACC standard, with answers Test yourself 158 Multiple-choice, one at a time Practise questions 132 Quick recall — check you know the facts
3 more for this unit
Oral exam preparation 37 What the assessor asks, and how to answer out loud Worked calculations 14 Step-by-step maths with the common mistakes Quick cards 790 Myth busters, skill tips and scenarios

Beyond the syllabus

Decision simulator 4 On site, what would you do? Workplace scenarios 80 Real site situations — what would you do? Turn this into income 48 Where this skill earns — what to charge, how to find clients

Other units in Module I