Communication Skills Exam Questions and Answers (2025).

Communication Skills Exam Questions and Answers (2025). Communication the process of exchanging information and generating and transmitting meanings between two or more people Five parts of the communication process (Berlo) 1. The stimulus or referent (patient that needs to be addressed) 2. The sender or source of message (encoder) (person or group who initiates beginning of communication process 3. The message itself (conversation: verbal/nonverbal) 4. Th medium or channel of communication (auditory, visual, kinesthetic (touching) 5. The receiver (decoder) (patient) Four levels of communcation 1. Intrapersonal: self talk, communication within individual 2. Interpersonal: between two or more people, exchange messages 3. Small-group: two or more individuals, support group 4. Organizational: achieve common goals, organization Question: a nurse who reassures herself that she is prepared to speak in front of a group of her peers is using which of the following types of communcation? A. Intrapersonal B. Interpersonal C. Group D. Organizational A. intrapersonal Roles of group members - task oriented - focus on work to be done - group building or maintenance - focus on well being of group people doing work - self serving - advance the needs of individual members at group's expense Question: an individual who dominates a group meeting to promote his own personal agenda is performing which of the following group member roles? A. Task oriented B. Group building C. maintenance D. self serving D. self serving Factors Influencing Communcation level of development, gender, sociocultural differences, roles and responsibilities, space and territoriality, physical, mental, and emotional state; and evironment Developmental Level Directly correlated with the patient's neurologic competence and cognitive development, 10 year old has limited knowledge of what an infection is, explain things in simple terms, and adolescent is is developing abstract thinking, more detailed and accurate explanations can be given, older patients need to be assessed for any problems with hearing or sight, confusion, or depression Gender Men and women have different communication styles and might give different interpretations to the same conversation, girls and boys grow up communicating differently, when working with patients of the opposite gender, validate that both you and the patient are accurately receiving the message the other is trying to communicate Sociocultural differences Culture, language, be sure to to recognize what influences a patient's communication (culture, economic condition, and overall lifestyle influence) Roles and responsibilities Do not stereotype or assume about a person based on their job title, economic status, etc. All patients need full care Space and territoriality Personal space among other things varies based on culture, ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION Physical, mental, and emotional state the degree to which people are physically comfortable and mentally and emotionally free to engage in interactions also influences communication. Pain or fear can negatively affect communication, or thinking that the nurse wants to hurt them Environment minimize distractions and ensure privacy, best environment is calm and nonthreatening Forms of communication verbal and nonverbal Verbal communcation an exchange of information using words, including both the spoken and written word, verbal communication depends on language or a prescribed way of using words so that people can share information effectively nonverbal communication the transmission of information without the use of words, also known as body language Forms of nonverbal communication: facial expressions, touch, eye contact, posture, gait (how they walk), gestures, general physical appearance, mode of dress and grooming, sounds, silence (allows them to think, crying, moaning) Question: touch is a personal behavior that means the same thing to all persons A. true B. false B. False The helping relationship exists among people who provide and receive assistance in meeting human needs - does not occur spontaneously - characterized by unequal sharing of information - built on the patient's needs Characteristics of a helping relationship dynamic (between nurse and patient purposeful and time limited (how long they have you) person providing assistance is professionally accountable for the outcomes Phases of the helping relationship 1. orientation phase (meet, identify each other by name, introduce 2. working phase (nurse works together with patient to meet the patient's physical and psychosocial needs, assessment, teaching, ect) 3. termination phase (shifts over, transfer, discharge) question: which of he following activities generally occurs during the orientation phase of the helping relationship? A. an agreement or contract about the relationship is established B. the nurse provides any assistance need to achieve patient goals C. the nurse provides patient counseling and teaching D. the patient and nurse examine the goals of the helping relationship for indications of attainment A. an agreement or contract about the relationship is established Goals of orientation phase -establish tone and guidelines for the relationship - identify each other by name - clarify roles of both people - establish an agreement about the relationship - provide the patient with orientation to the healthcare system Goals of the Working phase -work together to meet the patient's needs - provide whatever assistance is needed to achieve each goal - provide teaching and conseling Goals of the termination phase Examine goals of helping relationship for attainment make suggestions for future efforts if necessary encourage patient to express his or her emotions about the termination (allow them to say they're nervous) Factors that promote effective communication dispositional traits and rapport builders Dispositional traits warmth and friendliness, openness and respect, empathy, honestly, authenticity, trust, caring, competence, genuineness Rapport Builders specific objectives, comfortable environment, privacy, confidentiality, patient vs task focus, utilization of nursing observations, optimal pacing, providing personal space Question: a nurse should respect a patient's personal space by remaining outside an arm's length of the patient and refraining from touching the patient unnecessarily A. true B. false B. false SBAR Communication Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendations Developing Listening Skills sit when communicating with a patient, be alert and relaxed and take your time, keep the conversation as natural as possible, maintain eye contact if appropriate, use appropriate facial expressions and body gestures, think before responding to the patient, do not pretend to listen, listen for themes,in the patients comments, use silence, therapeutic touch, and humor appropriately Therapeutic touch phenomenon involving unruffling or clearing, congested areas of energy in the body and redirecting this energy Interviewing techniqes open-ended questions: when obtaining nursing history, use the open ended question technique to allow the patient a wide range of possible responses close-ended question: provides the receiver with limited choices of possible responses and might be often answered with a simple yes or no answer blocks to communication failure to perceive the patient as a human being, failure to listen, inappropriate comments and questions, using cliches, using closed questions, using questions containing the words why and how, using questions that probe for information question: an open-ended question or comment serves to validate what the nurse believes is heard or observed A. true B. false B. False