On Saturday January 25, my boyfriend and I went to Roosters for dinner, where I casually observed how others communicated. I was able to clearly see verbal and nonverbal forms of communication amongst other individuals. Also, I noticed how dependent we are on our technology.
First, I will be discussing about our waiter. Her nonverbals included: eye contact when speaking, casual tone of voice, and soft and smiling facial expression. Her verbal communication was asking us what we wanted to eat. She was clear and concise, and she performed feedback to make sure that she got the correct order. Therefore, I felt like our waiter was very well engaged with our conversation and had confidence in that she will get our order right. Comparing our waiter to nurses, it is critical to perform feedback to make sure that our patient understands what we taught them with patient education or what we just said.
Another observation I made was of a father and his young daughter sitting across from us. The father used nonverbal gestures that included: pointing at words or items, gentle and endearing facial expression, and tone of voice was soft and loving. The father’s verbal communication was explaining to his daughter what each item on the menu consist of in terms that she will understand. This technique used in verbal communication is similar to what medical professionals do because when speaking to our patients, we do not want to use medical jargon. We want to have clear and effective communication; thus, we need to communicate in layman terms.
The final observation that I made showed how dependent our society relies on technology. Next to us, a couple were engaging in conversation until the lady got up and left the table. When the man was left alone, he immediately grabbed his phone. Once she returned, he put his phone down and engaged in conversation again with her. This demonstrates how we learned as a society to fear silence or looking like you are not communicating. As a nurse, we need to overcome the urge to break the silence at times. Silence can allow patients to collect their thoughts, understand what is going on around them or the ability to express their feelings. Therefore, silence can be a good thing at times. Also, another observation I made with technology is the use of cellphones at the table amongst a group of individuals. Instead of communicating with each other, the group were on their phones. This observation shows how technology can get in the way of being in the moment. It is crucial that as nurses we do not let technology interfere with our communication with patients. For example, moving the computer monitor to make eye contact with your patient while they are talking can build trust in patient-provider relationship.
Overall, these observations that I made can be applied to what I could face during clinical and during my career as a nurse. Also, observing others made me realize what I do on a daily basis without thinking, and what I could possibly change to help my communication with others.