Departments › Community Health › Module II › Communication Skills

Communication Skills

Community Health · Level 5  ·  5 Chapters

Compiled by: Consolata Aoko

Can I download Communication Skills notes as a PDF?

Yes. The notes download as a PDF too: every chapter has a Download PDF button above its notes. Sign in and click it. Each download comes from your plan's monthly allowance or from credits. To read before you sign in, the first topic of every chapter opens to anyone, and a Profplanet plan opens the remaining topics.

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What Communication Skills covers

Communication Skills for Community Health Level 5 starts with the communication process and ends with working in a group. Channels come first: principles, modes, barriers, patterns of flow, sources of information and organizational policies. You then write for the workplace, learning types of written communication, its elements and organization requirements. Non-verbal skills cover body language, gestures, posture and the dress code. Questioning techniques, etiquette and active listening make up the oral outcome. Group discussion skills finish the unit: establishing rapport, resolving issues, drawing up action plans, taking turns, managing conflict and working as a team.

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Careers after Communication Skills

This unit prepares you to speak, listen and write clearly with patients, colleagues and communities in a health setting. Its five outcomes cover channels, written, non-verbal and oral communication, and group discussion.

  • Health facility reception and triage points - greet patients, listen actively and use suitable body language at a health centre in Nyahururu.
  • Community dialogue sessions - lead group discussions, take turns and handle disagreements among residents of Kakamega.
  • Report-writing posts - write letters and reports to organization requirements for a county health office in Bungoma.
  • Referral and follow-up work - choose the right communication channel and overcome barriers when contacting households around Isiolo.
  • Health project teams - agree action plans and share tasks in a team in Kisii.
  • Outreach and awareness campaigns - use suitable channels and clear messages to reach households in Kitale.

Whether a message is spoken, written or signalled, the channel you pick shapes how it is received.

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 II