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Contribute to the implementation of effective communication strategies

Overview 2Implement strategies to check on the effectiveness of communication with clients and colleagues 2

Evaluating the effectiveness of our communication skills 3Facilitate access to interpretive and translation services 4

Working with interpreters 4Regularly review established channels of communication to ensure clients and co workers are informed of relevant information in a timely way 9

Channels of communication 9Communicating with clients 10Accessible communication 11Communicating with co-workers 12Reviewing channels of communication 13

Provide coaching in effective communication to colleagues and clients as required 14

Coaching as a component of the helping relationship 14Coaching co-workers or being employed as a coach 15Coaching skills 17

Maintain relevant work-related networks and relationships as required to ensure client needs and organisation objectives are met 19

Formal networks 19Informal networks 20Professionalism 20Personal and agency boundaries in networking 20Skills needed for networking 21Strategies for building and maintaining networks 21

Summary 22

Certificate IV in Disabilities: CHCCOM403A: Reader LO 10127 1© NSW DET 2009

OverviewAs a community service workers, effective communication is essential if we are to provide a professional and relevant service to our clients and the community in which we work. One of the ways that we ensure that our communication is effective is to create a range of strategies to communicate with clients and colleagues and then evaluate how effective these strategies are. In this topic we will discuss how to make sure that we communicate effectively. To do this we will explore how to communicate (that is, what channels we are going to use) and what we need to do to make sure that our communication is understood.

We will look at using interpreters and using coaching as a way to help our clients communicate effectively. Finally we will discuss some strategies that can be used to check how effective we actually are at communicating well.

Implement strategies to check on the effectiveness of communication with clients and colleaguesOur goal as community services workers is to be as effective a communicator as possible. After all, if we can’t communicate effectively with clients, co-workers, other service providers, funding bodies and the general community it is highly unlikely that we can do our job properly. As we have said before, effective communication skills are the foundation of our work as community service workers! To make sure that we are an effective communicator we need to have in place some strategies and processes to check how we are going.

Effective communication occurs when the message sent is the same as the message received. To be an effective communicator we need to have a large repertoire of interpersonal skills and use these skills appropriately and strategically. In our industry, we also need to make sure that how we use our skills reflects industry values and philosophies. This means that we have to show people that we are respectful, non-judgemental, accepting, client centred, empowering etc through our words and actions. This is not always as easy at is sounds. When we are evaluating (checking) how effective our communication is with clients and colleagues we therefore have to look at our attitude and approach as well as skills.

2 Certificate IV in Disabilities: CHCCOM403A: Reader LO 10127 © NSW DET 2009

Evaluating the effectiveness of our communication skills

When we evaluate something we are checking to see how valuable or useful it was. When we are evaluating our communication skills we are checking to see if our clients received the messages that we wanted them to and make sure that we received the right messages from the client. As interpersonal communication is a two way process we need to check that we have both sent and received the right messages!

The most difficult thing about checking on how effective our communication skills are, is that it can be so subjective. That is, we tend to be so involved in ourselves that depending on our self-esteem and self-concept we can have either an inflated view of skills or else be overly critical. The challenge therefore is to use a range of evaluation strategies so that we can get as complete and objective picture of our skills as possible.

Strategies that you can use when evaluating the effectiveness of your communication skills include:

Keeping a reflective journal in which we ask ourselves such questions as:

o What skills did I use?o How useful were those skills in that situation?o Which skills and strategies worked?o Which ones didn’t have the effect that I wanted?o Why weren’t they as effective?o What could I have done differently?o What can I do next time to ensure that I communicate more

effectively? Observing the effect out interpersonal communication has on others .

For example, did they react in the way we expected? Did they react differently to how we expected?

Asking for feedback from the person we are communicating with, although we have to be careful that we don’t ask in a loaded way or abuse our power. For example, if we say to a client—‘Was that helpful?’ they might think that they have to say yes. If asking for feedback it is better to ask questions such as ‘Have I understood you correctly?’ or ‘Have I got this right?’ or ‘Am I making sense?’

o Asking for feedback from a supervisor or colleague could be during formal supervision, in case meetings, or informally.

Taping or videoing interviews or simulated interviews. Remember that if you are going to record anybody else you must have their informed consent and discuss why you are recording the interview and what you are going to do with the recording.


Attend training. This is a great way to learn new skills as well as review and evaluate current skills.

This would be a good time to attempt Activity 1 before moving on with the remainder of this reading.

Facilitate access to interpretive and translation servicesIn our role as community services workers we have the opportunity to meet and work with people from different cultures and backgrounds. We cannot always know, however, how to communicate effectively with people from different cultures from our own. One of our roles as community services workers is to explore and research different cultures. Some of the best ways to do this are to:

develop networks with people from different cultures and consult with them about issues

include people from diverse cultures in developing and running programs in our organisation

actively employ staff from diverse backgrounds

use resources that can assist us to work more effectively with diverse cultural groups (eg literature, Internet, translators and interpreters).

Working with interpreters

When your client does not speak the same language as you, you may be required to employ a professional interpreter. There are many reasons why workers should use interpreters when working with people who do not communicate confidently in English (as well as for people who are hearing impaired). These reasons vary from complying with existing anti-discrimination legislation and access and equity policies to providing effective services to clients, common courtesy, maintaining confidentiality and privacy, and upholding dignity of clients.

An interpreter is somebody who is employed by an interpreting service who will translate spoken words. This means they will sit in on your interview and translate what the client is telling you, as well as translate to the client what you are telling them.

Professional workers will need to make a judgement about when to use an interpreter. This would depend on your assessment of how much English the client understands, and how well they can express their needs in relation to the issues discussed.


Types of interpreters

The types of interpreters that can be used fall into two basic groups:

1. bring your own (BYO) interpreters and

2. trained interpreters.

BYO interpreters include: neighbours, children, relatives, an untrained co-worker and advocates. Trained interpreters include: community interpreters, agency interpreters and accredited interpreters.

It is common for people attending an interview to bring along someone they know—a family member, a child, a friend or a neighbour to interpret for them. When you consider the considerable cost involved in the use of a professional interpreter it is understandable that, at times, people will bring their own interpreter. However, there are a number of problems involved in the use of BYO interpreters.

Some of these problems are:

The BYO interpreter might not have an accurate understanding of terminology or issues discussed nor the appropriate language or interpreting skills to deal with all issues.

There might be a lack of privacy or confidentiality for clients. Clients might not feel comfortable disclosing personal information in front of someone they know.

BYO interpreters might find it difficult to remain neutral and impartial. They might advocate on behalf of the client rather than just interpret what is being said.

Given these issues it is preferable (and more professional) to use a qualified professional interpreter. Following are some points that you will need to consider when booking an interpreter.

Qualifications of an interpreter

Just as you would go to a professional to fix your TV, your teeth or your car, it is also important to ask a qualified person to interpret for you in a work environment. Qualified interpreters have to undergo relevant training via a recognised training institution or they must be tested and accredited by a recognised organisation.

The organisation responsible for the accreditation and training of interpreters and translators in Australia is the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI). NAATI’s main objective has been to establish professional standards for interpreters and translators. There are a number of different levels of NAATI accreditation and these are discussed below.


Paraprofessional interpreter

This level is for interpreting general conversations and for straightforward, uncomplicated interpreting. Often this level is done by casual interpreters and people whose main occupation is not interpreting; however, they use their language skills in their work activities when required.

Professional interpreter level

This is the first level of a professional, general purpose interpreter. People at this level have a wide range of subjects in which they can interpret. Interpreters at this level often use consecutive interpreting techniques. Agencies such as Translators and Interpreters Service (TIS) and The Language Services Division of the Community Relations Commission (NSW) which are the two main interpreting services in NSW, require Level 3 accreditation as a minimum for employment as a community interpreter.

Conference interpreter

This is the advanced professional level and represents the competence to handle complex, technical and sophisticated interpreting. Conference interpreters practise both consecutive and simultaneous interpreting in diverse situations, including at conferences, high-level negotiations, and court proceedings. Conference interpreters often choose to specialise in certain areas.

Conference Interpreter (Senior) (CIS)

This is the highest level of NAATI accreditation for interpreters and reflects both skill and experience. Conference interpreters (senior) are Conference interpreters who are recognised as leaders in the interpreting field. They are the elite of interpreters.

For general purpose interpreting it is a good idea to employ a professional interpreter or perhaps a paraprofessional interpreter.

For more information on the different levels of interpreters and for information about the different levels for translators go to the NAATI website http://www.naati.com.au

Where to find interpreters?

A number of agencies provide interpreting services for the welfare, health and legal fields. Some interpreter services are provided by government or government-sponsored agencies and others by private providers. Some services provide general interpreter services while others are specialised.

Interpreter services


http://www.naati.com.au/

The Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC)

Contact details: TIS Telephone Interpreter Service (from anywhere in Australia, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week) on 131 450, on-site interpreters from anywhere in NSW on freecall 1300 655 082. Their website is very detailed and provides detailed information on fees and charges, languages and dialects etc. http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/help-with-english/help_with_translating/

Provides the TIS National interpreting service for people who do not speak English and for the English speakers who need to communicate with them. It is a twenty-four hour seven-day-a-week service and in 2009 they could provide interpreters for about 120 different languages and dialects. They also provide on-site interpreters for face-to-face work. TIS operates on a user pays service. TIS can do telephone interpreting and charges are made on 15-minute blocks. For on-site interpreting the first hour and a half is paid as a block and subsequent charges are made for every 15-minute block of time after that.

The Language Services Division of the Community Relations Commission

Contact details: freecall 1300 651 500. or email [email protected] They also have a useful website that can be used to access information on services provided and fees and charges. http://www.crc.nsw.gov.au/services/language_services

A NSW Government interpreter service. It provides community interpreters for on-site interpreting for general and specialised fields of interpreting. This service also works on a fee-for-service basis. Usually the service is free of charge to clients when they attend state government departments (the department will pay the fee). Other services are charged per two-hour or three-hour block.

The Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators (AUSIT)

Contact details: 1800 284 181 or http://www.ausit.org

Does not provide an interpreter service but aims to promote the interpreting and translating profession and set uniform charges for interpreter services. It can provide a list of names of interpreters who are its members. The members are accredited and you can contact them directly. It is useful to know of this service in case you are not able to get an interpreter through an established service

The Department of Health NSW—Health Care Interpreter Service

Contact: Phone the regional offices of the Department of Health for phone numbers.

A free interpreter service for patients and health care professionals within the public health system

Centrelink Multilingual Service

Contact: 13 1202 or http://centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/services/interpreters.htm

For interpreter services provided by all Centrelink offices in every state in Australia to their clients

Australian Sign Language Interpreters Association (NSW) Inc

Contact: 8845 9444 or http://www.deafsocietynsw.org.au/asliansw/index.htm

Provides a deaf sign language interpreter service


Language factors

Before booking an interpreter, you need to establish the language and the dialect the client speaks. Don’t assume that because a person is born in a particular country they speak that language. For example, a person might have been born in Spain, of French and German parents, and have grown up in Holland yet does not speak Spanish, French or German at all. So when booking an interpreter, make sure that:

the interpreter and the client speak the same language and dialect

the interpreter has the right accreditation

you check the cost

you consider the interpreter’s gender, religion, culture and age.


Plan the interview

Interviewing through an interpreter is not simply a matter of booking an interpreter and then calling the client and the interpreter into your office. There are a number of steps that you need to follow to conduct an interview through an interpreter. These include:

booking the right interpreter

briefing the interpreter—introduce yourself and the agency, establish rapport, brief the interpreter about the case, check that the interpreter feels comfortable to interpret the case, brief the interpreter about the interview process and the techniques you might use, brief the interpreter about the client’s likely responses, establish objectives for the interview, clarify any cultural matters and stress confidentiality

arranging the chairs to facilitate communication between the client and the interviewer—the interpreter should always sit next to the client or worker but a little further back so that the interviewer and the client are facing each other

establishing the ground rules

planning the interview and maintaining control

debriefing the interpreter after the interview.

During the interview

Once the interview has begun you need to:

Introduce yourself and the interpreter to the client.


Acknowledge that the interview may be a bit slower because of the need for an interpreter. Establish, with the client, the need to speak a little more slowly and to pause to allow the interpreter to interpret the information.

Ask the client to let you know if there is anything they do not understand.

Speak directly to the client (and ask the client to speak directly to you).

Blunders to avoid

It is very easy to switch the focus of the interview from the client to the interpreter because it is easier to talk to the interpreter than to the client. Communicating with clients who do not speak your language requires a great deal of vigilance. You need to be alert to avoid common pitfalls. Some of these common blunders to avoid are:

excluding the client by talking to the interpreter in his/her presence

conducting the interview by placing the interpreter in the position of the interviewee

allowing the interviewee and the interpreter to engage in conversation excluding you, the interviewer

not stressing to the interpreter that they must interpret everything without adding or omitting information.

Using an interpreter is just like anything else in life—the more you do it the easier it gets. Being prepared and remembering to focus on the client will make the process more likely to be successful!

Regularly review established channels of communication to ensure clients and co workers are informed of relevant information in a timely wayThere are many ways to communicate with clients and co-workers and one of the roles of a community service worker is to ensure that people receive relevant information as soon as possible and in an accessible format.

Channels of communication

There are a number of ways to communicate with clients and co-workers and which channels you use will depend upon the client group you work with the organisation for whom you work. A channel of communication


refers to the way a message is passed from person to person. There are usually a number of ways we can communicate a message to others.


Communicating with clients

Common ways to communicate with clients and potential clients include:

sending them information in the mail

ringing them

sending an email

sending a text message (often done through the internet and not just via a mobile phone)

holding an open day

placing an ad in the local paper or in a community newspaper

advertising on community radio

sending a newsletter

talking with them in an interview

holding an information session or sessions

creating a Facebook page

creating a Wiki or a blog

having a link or message on the organisation’s web page

having posters in public places

placing brochures/pamphlets in places that clients and potential clients might visit such as the local library or doctor’s surgery

putting flyers in letterboxes

handing out flyers in public spaces such as shopping centres

having a stall at local market days

asking others to pass on the information (others could include other workers, community leaders or other professionals such as doctors, community nurses etc)

As you can see there are lots of ways that we can pass information onto clients. While we wouldn’t use all of these channels all of the time we would usually make sure that we use a few different ways to ensure that everyone received the information. Which channel you use will depend largely on your budget and the client group. For example, for older people who find it difficult to get out, you might send them a letter, give them a


ring, ask another worker or professional to give them the information when they visit, place an ad in the local paper or put a flyer in their letterbox. If you were setting up a new service for socially isolated older people you might use all of these channels. All of them are relatively low cost, though if you had a very limited budget you might have to decide which channels are the most cost effective.


As the example above illustrates, the way we would provide information to a younger person is very different from the way we would do it for an older person. This is because we know that people of different ages use different ways of communicating. Whenever you want to pass on information to a client it is essential to research what ways they usually get information (or feel comfortable receiving information) before you start. It is no good using text messages as a way of communicating if most of the people you want to send information to don’t have a mobile phone!

Accessible communication

The other thing we need to consider when communicating with clients is how accessible is the information. Accessible information is information that the client can understand and that reaches them. They don’t need to rely on a third party to pass the message onto them or explain to them what is being said or written. For information to be accessible it should, if written, be:

written in plain English (that is, using words that are used in everyday spoken English)

translated into community languages

written in a font size that can be read by the target group (for example, you would use a larger font for older people or for people who have a vision impairment)

written using inclusive language (that is, isn’t sexist or racist etc)

translated into braille or audio format for people who have a significant visual impairment

put into pictorial format for people who have an intellectual disability

distributed using a variety of means (channels and networks) as possible

distributed in a culturally sensitive and appropriate way.

If the information is passed on verbally to ensure that it is accessible the worker should make sure that they:


use language that is appropriate to the target group—it is essential to not talk down to people or else use words that they don’t understand

use plain English and not jargon

use interpreters when necessary (this includes Auslan interpreters as well as other community languages)

work within cultural protocols

deliver the information at a time that suits people (for example, if holding a public meeting, hold the meeting at a time that suits people)

deliver the information in a warm and non-threatening manner

use a voice that is clear and loud enough for people to hear

use assistive technology if required (eg hearing loops, tty, etc)

ask people if they have any questions and then answer the questions

take responsibility for ensuring that people understand therefore not get impatient when people ask for clarification—if they didn’t understand it the first time using a louder voice to deliver the same message using the same words and examples won’t help!

remember that what makes sense to one person may not make sense to another so use a variety of ways and examples to explain something.


Communicating with co-workers

When communicating with co-workers we tend to do so both formally and informally. Formal channels of communication are usually those channels that are organised and sanctioned by the organisation or service for who you work. They include:

memos

group emails

staff newsletters

Intranet sites (sometimes called SharePoint or portal sites)

staff meetings

notice boards

whiteboards

messages on pay slips etc

phone calls


text messages

workplans.

Communication via informal channels occurs all of the time in the workplace and is a less reliable way of passing on information to workers. It is, however, an excellent way of passing on gossip, rumours and innuendos! Sadly in many organisations where the formal channels of communication aren’t effective informal networks tend to be used as primary sources of information. The problem with this is that it is a hit-and-miss approach and often certain people get information while others don’t.

Effective communicators use both formal and informal channels to share information with co-workers, supervisors and people they supervise. Getting the balance right isn’t always easy but ensuring that all important information is shared formally and equitably is a good strategy.

Reviewing channels of communication

If we want to make sure that we are communicating effectively with all stakeholders (people who have an interest in the service etc) in an organisation we need to regularly review or check that everyone is receiving the right information and within an appropriate timeframe.

There are a number of ways that we can review how effective we are in communicating relevant information with clients and co-workers. These include both formal and informal means.

At a formal level we could conduct a communication audit in which we would systematically check how well we communicated a certain piece of information. We could so this by tracking who received the information and when. This tracking could be done by asking people to let us know when they received the information or alternatively we could ask people if they have received the information and if so when.

Other formal ways of assessing our successes in terms of communication channels could be keeping statistics relating to who turns up to events, uses services or contacts for further information. Using surveys and focus groups is a more costly way of reviewing channels of communication but could also be used if an agency had a budget to do this or they might do it as part of their Quality Improvement process. Finally you could review the complaints received from stakeholders and assess how many could have related to poor communication.

At a more informal level we can use our observation skills, listen to casual or incidental feedback from others or ask in passing if someone received certain information. Taking time out to reflect in what we are doing, why and how, is also a useful reviewing tool. No matter which way you review your channels of communication it is important to remember that you won’t always get it right, that what works in one situation may not work in another


and that there are always ways you can do things differently and maybe better.

Provide coaching in effective communication to colleagues and clients as requiredOften clients and colleagues will tell you that they find it difficult to communicate effectively with certain people—parents, children, bosses, difficult colleague etc. Often one of our roles as community service workers is to help these people develop their skills or help them plan how they are going to improve their communication. Usually community service workers would work with a client on their communication skills as part of the helping relationship. That is, helping them with their communication would be just one of the elements of the overall intervention/case plan that we had developed with the client. With a co-worker or colleague we may have a formal coaching role where we are ‘employed’ to help them with their communication skills and approach.

Coaching as a component of the helping relationship

Many clients come to see a community service worker because they are having issues in their relationships, perhaps with lots of people or just one person in particular. If that is the case they may ask you to help them to communicate more effectively with that person or people. To do this you might do a number of things with them such as:

explore what they see as the issue.

explore why they think that they are having these issues.

explore what they would like to be doing differently.

help them to set some goals regarding improving their communication.

discuss strategies (such as keeping a communication diary, giving them some reading to do on effective communication, planning and practising for difficult conversations etc.)

help them decide which strategies would work best for them.

help them implement these strategies.

help them evaluate the effectiveness of the strategies.

The coaching element comes into play when you are helping them to implement the strategies that they have decided to use. Coaching may take the form of discussing certain skills, helping them to practice those skills, doing role-plays with them (and you thought that you wouldn’t have to do a


role-play again once you left TAFE!) and providing useful and constructive feedback.

Remember that when you are acting as a coach you still have to stick to industry values such as being non-judgemental, accepting, facilitating client-self determination and being client-focused. It can be difficult to let go of your own ideas and standards and work with the client on what they want and within their own communication style but it has to be done if the client is going to communicate more effectively. The clients have to feel comfortable with what they do and how they do it.


Coaching co-workers or being employed as a coach

While coaching clients is often just one of the many roles that we perform as part of the helping relationship with a client, sometimes we are asked to formally enter into a coaching relationship with co-workers or clients. When coaching in this situation it is helpful to follow a coaching process. One such process is outlined below. There are a number of models around so you may want to research which one you feel comfortable with.

Coaching as a six-step process

According to Tovey, coaching is a guiding process during which a coach may provide hints, clues, feedback, cues, reminders, practice, problems solving, exposure to models and demonstrations while the learner is developing the knowledge, skills or attributes required.

These six steps can help you to understand the coaching process:

1. Display the right values

2. State the purpose of the coaching session

3. Acknowledging there is a performance issue

4. Exploring alternatives

5. Commitment to implement the strategy

6. Summarise and monitor staff's performance.

Step 1: Values

Step 1 is very important to any coaching relationship. The basis of trust in the relationship must be developed at an early stage and then continue to be built upon throughout the relationship.


The coach must hence possess certain values to achieve a successful relationship. A value is a quality belonging to a person that is considered to be desirable or worthwhile. The values we have influence what we do and the way we do things. There are six coaching values that stand out as being essential in any coaching relationship. These are:

responsibility

honesty

belief that others want to learn and develop

interest and respect for others

showing trust

pursuit of excellence.

Step 2: State the purpose of the coaching session

As the coach, the first interaction that you have with the employee requiring coaching should establish the purpose of the coaching. The employee should be approached in a friendly way and all attempts should be made to minimise their anxiety.

If first contact is made over the phone, a sentence should give a brief introduction of what will be discussed at the coaching session. When face-to-face contact is made, the coach needs to restate the purpose of the coaching session to the employee.

This should be done without evaluating, accusing, or threatening the employee in any way.

Step 3: Acknowledging there is a performance issue

In this step, during the first coaching session, the manager must be able to identify the exact performance issue that has occurred or is occurring. The employee must be made aware of his or her actions and their consequences on others in the workplace. There must be an agreement between the manager and employee that there is a performance concern. The manager must obtain verbal agreement from the employee that the identified performance issue exists.

Step 4: Exploring alternatives

In step four, the manager and employee look at possible alternatives together that may be able to improve the employee's performance.

For each of the suggestions by the employee, the manager should acknowledge it and then discuss the benefits or drawbacks associated with it. The manager may offer suggestions to expand on what the employee has offered as an alternative. These should then be discussed with the employee


to establish how each may or may not contribute to the resolution of the performance issue.

Step 5: Commitment to implement the strategy

This stage involves obtaining commitment from the employee to implement the strategy/solution that was decided upon. The coach obtains agreement from the employee about what has been agreed. The employee is asked to explain what their role will be in agreed strategy/solution. The aim of this step is to get commitment from the employee.

Step 6: Summarise and monitor staff's performance

At the end of the coaching session, you need to reflect on what has been achieved during the session. Emphasise what was achieved and identify what still needs to be done. The employee should then be thanked for participating in the session. It is important the coach arranges for a follow-up session with the employee.

The follow-up session must be done at the agreed time. This shows the employee you are interested in their performance and that you take your commitment seriously. This makes it imperative that the follow-up is adhered to and the commitment is met.

Reference: Tovey, M.D (1999) Mentoring in the Workplace. Prentice Hall, Sydney,

Coaching skills

For coaching to be successful and achieved the desired outcome, the coach needs to use the following coaching skills:

asking

listening

showing respect

being specific

obtaining agreement

using positive reinforcement.

Asking

The skill of asking is used to assist the coach to develop information about the issue. This skill requires the use of open or closed questions. By asking effective questions, it is possible to obtain concise and relevant information. The coach may use questions (eg what, why’), or directives (eg tell me about…’).


Listening

Having asked the question, it is important that the coach listens to the answers/responses given. To ensure you have understood the answers/responses, you should:

summarise what the staff member has said.

ask the staff member to acknowledge that you have restated their answers/responses accurately.

Showing respect

The coaching relationship is dependent on the mutual participation of both parties. This is encouraged by showing respect. Showing respect includes choosing the appropriate physical environment, timing and location, as well as the language and behaviours.

The coaching relationship should not be one sided.

Being specific

This skill involves the coach focusing on a specific way to improve the performance. The coach and the employee need to develop an understanding of what is being discussed.

To do this, the coach needs to give recent examples of the staff's performance. By being specific about the problem, both parties are better able to find solutions..

Obtaining agreement

This skill involves both parties stating what has been agreed and making a commitment to the agreement.

Using positive reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is used to confirm that the coach believes that as a result of the coaching session, the employee will be committed to the agreement and follow through on what has been agreed upon

As you can see, these coaching skills are no different from the effective communication skills that you have (or will have) studied in this unit of competency. Effective communication skills are the cornerstone of what we do in our industry and we will use them in different contexts and roles—the skills don’t change, just how we use them!



You will all have had a different experience. The main thing is to have a go and then reflect on how you went. Practice, reflection, setting goals, doing it again, reflecting etc is the only way to get good at coaching (and anything else involving communication skills!).

Maintain relevant work-related networks and relationships as required to ensure client needs and organisation objectives are metIn these days of targeted funding it isn’t often that one organisation can meet all of the needs of a particular client and so we need to refer clients to other organisations in our area. To do this well we need to have a good network of services that we can refer our clients to. When we use the work network we are referring to the group of people/organisations we know who we communicate with and who are able to help us.

When you start to think about it, it is easy to see that we al have many and varied networks. One of the challenges when we move somewhere new is setting up all those new networks and it often isn’t until we move, or do an activity like the one above, that we realise how much we rely on our networks!

Networking is the skill and process we use to build and maintain networks. Networking can occur on a formal or informal basis.

Formal networks

Formal networks are structured meetings or processes that are agreed upon by service providers. Networking at a formal level in the CSI occurs when you:

refer clients to another service (this may involve ensuring that it is the most appropriate service)

receive referrals from a worker from another service

attend interagency meetings (where workers from different services share information about their services and issues affecting the target group) These are often based on a geographical area.


request information from other service providers to develop and update a community resource file (ie information your service keeps about all the relevant services available in your area)

research recent policy initiatives concerning an issue affecting the target group you work with (eg changes in domestic violence legislation that may have an influence the kind of assistance your client needs) This may be done through research in the library or on the Internet.

liaise with interest or support groups who are focused on a particular issue or target group

seek information from a peak body or professional association.

Informal networks

These are the relationships you develop and build up over time with friends and colleagues in community groups and community services. These networks carry lots of information in the form of facts, gossip and rumour about issues affecting your target group—such as government policy initiatives, local developments or changes in services. Every time you meet with or chat over the phone you are networking!

Professionalism

When you are participating in a network, whether formal or informal, you need to be mindful that you are a professional worker representing your organisation. You are ‘the face’ of the organisation and your conduct, the impression you make, the information you provide and the message you communicate needs to be clear and appropriate. If you act unprofessionally people will often be reluctant to refer clients to your service or accept referrals from you. This can have a significant and negative impact upon the quality of life of your clients—which is the opposite of what you are trying to achieve by building networks!

Personal and agency boundaries in networking

When networking with other agencies, it is important to remember that confidentiality is an important ethical principle underlying community services work. It is a client’s right and it is the workers and agency’s responsibility to ensure that it is upheld.

It is essential that you gain the client’s informed permission to disclose personal information about their situation before talking with a worker or making a referral to another agency. Many agencies ask clients to sign a formal release document stating what information can be shared. It is also important that you don’t ‘gossip’ with other service providers about your


client. Let them do their own assessment and create their own impression of the client.

This can relate not only to client confidentiality but also to agency information, such as financial administration. Agencies have a right to keep information about their financial administration (funding, budgeting, bank accounts, financial planning and funding submissions) confidential. Of course, it will be discussed with their funding body and some of the information is made public at the agency’s Annual General Meeting, but it is not appropriate to disclose this information to other workers as part of your networking. Remember that, even if you become friendly with other workers, you have a responsibility to behave ethically at all times.

Skills needed for networking

Networking doesn’t just happen. It requires a range of skills and a strategic approach. The skills needed to be an effective networker include:

information gathering skills—such as problem solving (gathering information from clients, assessing what is important, priorities, additional information required.)

accessing available relevant information—such as research skills for using a library or the internet.

approaching services to gain information—such as letter writing, telephone skills and research skills.

interpersonal communication skills—such as presenting yourself professionally, communicating clearly and negotiating.

problem solving skills—such as identifying a client’s needs and working out the best services to meet those needs.

relationship building skills—such as establishing rapport, showing an interest in people, defining roles, sharing information.

Coupled with these skills a worker who wants to build new networks also needs to plan how are going to build and maintain networks. That is, if we are going to build and maintain networks we need a strategy to do so.

Strategies for building and maintaining networks

There are a number of ways to build and maintain networks and they include:

walking around your area and seeing which agencies are there

ringing agencies to introduced yourself and your role

visiting agencies to talk with them about what they do and discuss how you could work together


holding open days so other workers can see what services you provide

going to events runs by other services

attending interagency meetings (these are meetings where all workers in a particular area working with a certain target group meet together to discuss common issues and concerns and share information)

attending conferences, workshops and seminars

attending forums such as the Home and Community Care (HACC) regional and sub-regional forums

subscribing to network newsletters (both electronic and paper-based)

joining peak bodies (and regularly looking at their websites)

developing a resource folder in which you keep names of workers as well as the names of services and contact details.

Once you have built networks (and this is a constant process!) you then have to maintain them. Maintaining networks is just like maintaining any other relationship—you have to stay interested and connected, join in, share information and experiences, be polite and interested and warm and friendly. Working on your networking skills and approach is well worth it as the more effort you put in the more likely you are to have strong and resilient networks that you can use to the benefit of your clients and your organisation.

SummaryIn this topic we have discussed the different channels we use to communicate with clients and have highlighted the importance of making sure that we communicate in an accessible way. We have also explored using interpreters and acting as a coach to others, both formally and informally.

Finally we have discussed the need to evaluate our effectiveness as a communicator so that we can improve our skills and thus the service we provide our clients.


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