Communication: Glossary Of Terms

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Ability

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a person's capacity of receiving and sending messages; the capacity ot hear, see, speak, and comprehend messages influence the communication process.

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Active listening

Back 2

fixing complete attention and concentration on the sender's communication and conveying a real desire to hear and understand what is being communicated; verbally and nonverbally

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Brevity

Back 3

leaving out extra words and details from the message.

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Channels

Back 4

these are the senses through which communication is shared; communication is exchanged through auditory, tactile, and visual senses.

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Clarity

Back 5

saying what is meant and meaning what is said.

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Client

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the individual toward whom health services are directed, including his/her specific characteristics, values, and beliefs that he/she brings to the health care setting.

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Client's significant others

Back 7

the client's family members, including spouses, parents, brothers, sisters, other relatives, and individuals who are significant people in the client's life, but who are not health professionals.

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Congruent communication

Back 8

everything that a person says and does is consistent; the verbal and nonverbal messages sent to the receiver "match" each other.

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Connotative meaning

Back 9

an implied meaning; one that is personally understood, not necessarily generally understood/accepted.

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Context

Back 10

the setting in which communication takes place, including the time, place, and number of participants involved.

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Denotative meaning

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a meaning that is generally shared by individuals who share a common language.

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Empathy

Back 12

the capacity to respond to another's feelings and experiences as if they were your own.

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Feedback

Back 13

a link from the receiver back to the sender that acts to regulate and monitor the flow of information within the system; verbally and nonverbally.

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Genuineness

Back 14

means acting in an authentic way toward your client.

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Incongruent communication

Back 15

the verbal message and the nonverbal message contradict each other: when the nonverbal message suggests something different other than the content of the verbal message; inconsistency.

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Kinesics

Back 16

focuses on the use of body motion to communicate; includes gestures, posture, facial expressions, eye movement, and appearance.

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Meaning

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can be interpreted in two ways. Denotation is the generally agreed-upon, concrete meaning of a word. Connotation is the personal interpretation.

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Message

Back 18

the content of what is communicated along with the corresponding nonverbals. The words used, the gestures, tone of voice and pacing are all part of the message sent.

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Nonverbal communication

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the unspoken communication that occurs between tow persons; including such elements as tone of voice, gestures, posture, touch, physical appearance, physical distance, and facial expressions.

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Pacing

Back 20

refers to the speed or rate at which the message is delivered.

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Paralanguage

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refers to vocal sounds that run alongside our use of language. The “ahs” and “ums” that accompany our spoken words and the voice qualities, characteristics, intensity, and pitch tell us a lot about the sender's emotional state.

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Personal variables

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are found within each person involved in the communication. These variables can include background, self-concept, values, attitudes, beliefs and cultural and religious influences that impact the personal meaning of the message.

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Process recording

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is a recording (written, audio tape, video tape) of the nurse-client interaction. The recording is critically analyzed to help the nurse recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the interaction.

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Proxemics

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the study of how individuals use and interpret space within the communication process.

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Receiver

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interprets the message based on his/her communication skills, attitudes knowledge and socio-cultural system.

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Relevance

Back 26

refers to making sure there's a logical relationship between your message and the topic at hand.

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Respect

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acting with a positive regard toward your clients, considering them as people with real human value and dignity.

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Sender

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selects information and formulates a message based on his/her communication skills, attitudes, knowledge and socio-cultural system.

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Social interaction

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is the communication we have with our friends and acquaintances. It develops spontaneously and includes a mutual sharing of ideas and experiences, thus meeting the needs of both the sender and the receiver.

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Socio-cultural background

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the variations in cultural backgrounds affect and influence nonverbal and verbal communication.

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Therapeutic communication

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is the use of the communication process in a planned, deliberate way to establish a working relationship and to meet the specific needs of the client.

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Timing

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refers to appropriate and contract amount of time.

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Tone of voice

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refers to the tone, mood, or affect in which the words are spoken.

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Verbal communication

Back 34

the words or content of the message.

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Vocabulary

Back 35

refers to the words used in a communication exchange.