The Importance Of Communication In Nursing

Strong communications skills are vital in nursing. Communication is the base of a relationship between a nurse and a patient; it can be one of the most powerful tools used in the nursing field. “Socializing is an important initial component of interpersonal communication.” (Perry, Potter, Stockert, Hall, 2013, p. 315). A patient’s first impression is often made from social communication, and starts the moment they enter a care setting. Social communication is important in order to gain a patient’s trust and establish a relationship. The nurse will need to establish trust, reliability and confidentiality to further develop the relationship. It is important to have compassion; listen to the patient’s needs, and have empathy. With social communication, it is vital to allow the patient to discuss things that are of concern at the time. …show more content…
This is a type of conversation that happens regularly with friends and relationships. Social communication includes many different types of communications such as: verbal and nonverbal communication, symbolic communication and metacommunication. “It has been estimated that about 70 to 90 percent of all effective communication is nonverbal.” (Townsend, 2011, p.117). The tone of your voice, posture, eye contact, environment and situation are important to starting a social conversation with a patient. These social conversations start the foundation for therapeutic communication. Without good spontaneous, unplanned conversation it will be difficult to achieve successful therapeutic communication. Some examples of social communications are: talking about relationships, school, work, jobs, sports, current events, and family. Results are not expected from social communication. Active listening, both verbally and nonverbally, is an important part of both social and therapeutic communication. Strong social communication leads to effective therapeutic