Gay adoption Essay Example for Free

Gay adoption Essay Although courts have gone to great lengths to provide every child with one mother and one father, the realities of family formation and parenting are considerably more complex. Just a few years ago, most children grew up in a traditional or nuclear family, which refers to the conjugal household consisting of a husband, a wife, and their dependent children, whose relationships are traditionally recognized by family law. Today, fewer and fewer households are deemed traditional families. Societal changes have brought about the rise of alternative or non-traditional families which include group living, unmarried cohabitation and single-parent families, all of which are mutually interdependent households, but not, historically, so recognized by family law. Although these arrangements specifically same-sex couples appear to be distinct from the traditional family, they often embody and preserve the many values and functions of the traditional family, including support, loyalty, values, welfare, love and affection. Furthermore, many committed same-sex couples have and raise children. Nevertheless, for those living in these alternative arrangements, the law has not kept pace with these social evolutions. Moreover, in order for these individuals to assert any legal rights based on a family relationship, such as health insurance and inheritance benefits, they must first be acknowledged as a family member. Unfortunately, however, the law has made it overwhelmingly difficult for both male and female same-sex couples to be recognized as having a family relationship with concomitant legal rights and duties. The most permanent, binding way of becoming a non-biological parent is by adoption. Adoption is the legal proceeding, which establishes the legal relationship of parent and child between persons not already so related. Blood ties between adopter and adoptee are unnecessary. The adopted child is entitled to all privileges belonging to a natural child of the adoptive parents including the right to inherit, while the parent incurs the responsibilities of a parent with respect to the adopted person. In addition, as part of the process, the biological parents rights and responsibilities are terminated. As a general rule, either a married or unmarried person may undertake adoption and the requirements are generally the same in either case. In the former, however, its required either that the petition be made jointly or be consented to by the other spouse. The two basic requirements for someone trying to adopt are age and residence. The most commonly encountered age requirement is that the adopting parent be at least 21 years of age. Many statutes merely specify any adult or any person of lawful age, but the usual effect of this provision is as just stated.

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay Example for Free

Symbolism in Lord of the Flies by William Golding Essay A book that makes a person think is always more interesting than a book that does not. Lord of the Flies by William Golding does just that! Golding, using symbolism, shows his readers ideas about human nature that are rarely thought about in society. In this allegorical piece of literature he uses objects and characters as symbols. Each important object in the book is closely related to a character in the book. For example, the conch and Ralph are closely connected, also Piggy and his glasses are directly associated. Lastly, the Lord of the Flies, which could be a character or an object, has a great affect on Simon and Jack. William Goldings symbolism creates tension that keeps his readers wondering what will happen as this group of once civilized boys turn to their instincts. One can easily see the symbolism in the conch, with Ralph representing all of the same things. Like the conch, Ralph symbolizes authority, order, respect and leadership. The conch can be seen as a simple object, but it is more fascinating to look at it as a tool used by Ralph. At the beginning of Lord of the Flies the great shell symbolizes power and authority. Ralph, the conchs first possessor, has the power to call an assembly. When Ralph blows the conch, all the boys come running to him. When the boys come to the first assembly, the conch is a symbol of order. The person who holds it is the only one that can speak. Without the conch everyone would be talking at once and there would be no organization. The conch commands respect. As the boys join the assembly they all show respect to Ralph, who is eventually voted chief because of the boys respect for him. The conch is a symbol of leadership. Ralph is the first possessor of the conch and he is the chief. The little bit of leadership given to the person with the conch is shown in that persons right to talk. Throughout the book, the conch represents the evolution of the boys on the island. It shows the change from a utopian society where everyones needs are met, to a dystopian society in which everything is disastrous and out of order. At the beginning of the book, the shell is almost perfect. The one imperfection is a small scratch, which is a foreshadowing of what will eventually happen to the boys society. The conch gets more and more scratched up, it loses its beautiful pink shade; and right before Piggys death the conch is shattered, symbolizing the complete loss of order in society. Ralph changes as the conch does. Ralph starts off believing that he is living in a perfect place where everything is wonderful. By the end he is running for his life. If he hadnt been rescued at that exact moment, then he probably would have been overcome by the evil instincts that unconsciously imprisoned the other boys. Like Ralph and the conch, Piggy and his glasses fundamentally are symbolic of the same thing. The glasses, when possessed by Piggy, represent the knowledge to see what is right, or what is best. In the Bible, in the story of Abraham, Abraham is constantly referred to as a seer, or the one who sees. Piggy is the prophet; he is the seer and visionary of this story. He is obviously the smartest of the boys; he always knows what needs to be done, he sees what is right. He and Ralph are the two that know the fire is the most important priority, because fire leads to rescue. Sometimes even Ralph forgets this very important priority. But Piggys knowledge of what is best is never lost, and is always shown through his glasses. As Piggys glasses slowly become destroyed, the boys slowly begin to lose the vision of what is right, and what needs to be done. The boys choose hunting and savagery over being rescued. The total loss to see what is right is shown when the glasses are broken and Piggy is killed. The most important symbol in the Lord of the Flies is obviously the Lord of the Flies, the Sows head on the end of a stick; it is the title of the book! The Lord of the Flies comes from death and killing, (of the sow) which shows its evil. It is the dark side of people; it is peoples evil nature. This unusual demon inhabits the souls of the young boys and corrupts them. As the boys are oblivious to everything, the demon turns the boys into savages with evil instincts that are uncontrollable. The evil spirit has the greatest effect on Jack, who already overflowing with emotion cannot handle his feelings and becomes a savage beast. The only character who is aware of the Lord of the Flies is Simon. Simon is connected with his true feelings. He sees a once perfect society being changed into hell. Simon finally meets the devil of this hellhole, and sees that his enemy is undefeatable, uncontrollable, and unbearable. It seems as if he almost commits suicide as he is slaughtered by the savage boys who are anxious for a kill. The Lord of the Flies is important because it shows that Golding believes in the evil nature that all human beings possess. Ralph has authority with his conch, Piggy can see with his glasses, and Simon has a revelation with a devil. These characters and their vital objects are symbols as well as important pieces of the story. Golding uses symbolism to add tension to a book already overflowing with thought and emotion that keeps his readers on the edge of their seats.

360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay

360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay There is a great deal of controversy about the relevancy of using 360-degree feedback as a tool to develop leadership skills. Some view 360-degree feedback as a collaborative tool, a tool offering a more balanced circle of feedback based on the assessments of superiors, peers, and subordinates. These views lead me to wonder, how effective can this tool be if it does not factor in leadership styles and the potential for bias based on popularity? Will personality and popularity play a role in the assessment? Though extreme, there is some merit to my position. This realization guided me to my decision that 360-degree feedback is an effective tool to provide self assessment and can also be used to enhance performance measures during annual counseling such as leadership, communication, and mission effectiveness. Background The underlying theory of 360-degree feedback asserts that an assessment received from multiple sources provides unique and meaningful information to the recipient. Rapid growth of its use was fueled by the need to adapt to a changing human resources management environment and by numerous studies that supported the effectiveness of multi-source ratings in post-feedback management development. A significant complaint of the traditional performance appraisal system voiced by services is that feedback is generally one-sided and can lack objectivity. In the 1940s, the Army implemented a tool called the multi-rater system, also known as the multisource assessment process.  [1]  The multi-rater system allows a persons evaluation to encompass reviews from not only a rater, but also a persons subordinates, peers, clients, and organizational hierarchy. This allows a reviewer to get a more complete picture of a person and removes a singular rater from being able to determine the fate of a career. If an officers boss dislikes a subordinate, but he gets top marks from everyone else, it puts the bosss review in context, and would likely generate questions from the senior rater over the rating ability of the boss. In 2006, the Navy tested a prototype model of the 360-degree feedback process in the Surface Warfare Community. Similar to Army results, the Navy prototype showcased a strength of the 360-degree feedback process is its ability to provide varying perspectives of raters. The Navy prototype findings also emphasized that a supervisor cannot observe all the interactions, strengths and opportunities for improvement of his subordinates for evaluation reports, especially if the span of control is broad.  [2]  So why should the supervisor be the only person to provide performance feedback? Discussion A major advantage to the 360-degree feedback process is that it provides an opportunity for people with whom a person comes into frequent contact to offer feedback. This is an important consideration because the rater should be the person that has observed the employee on a frequent basis. It would be unfair and impractical to ask a rater for input when the opportunity to observe an employees skills, talents and abilities have not been provided on a regular basis. Lets look at two examples of 360-degree feedback in action; first lets look at an Army Captain who serves as a signal officer in an infantry battalion. His rater is the Battalion Executive Officer, a combat-arms officer, who does not know much about communication other than how to operate a radio. If the signal officer performs his job well, the XO will likely give him a reasonably favorable review on a traditional Evaluation Review. Now lets use a 360-degree feedback process and involve his higher-echelon counterpart, the Brigade S6 Officer, who is a Major and a signal officer, who gives the Captain an excellent rating based on his technical proficiency. If we involve his section, they can comment on his leadership, management style and his ability to explain complex technical issues in plain English. His peers in the battalion, other captains and the company commanders, all give him high marks for working with them to resolve communication issues. Now the 360-degree feedback proces s is given to his senior rater, the Battalion Commander, who now has a more complete view of this officer and how he has performed based on additional feedback from numerous sources, rather than the traditional counseling from one rater that would have communicated a generic, but reasonably positive review. Another example of how this method is beneficial is to look at an Army infantry platoon leader, a 1st Lieutenant, who routinely sucks up to his company commander, volunteers his platoon for the toughest assignments, scores expert in marksmanship and fitness and has impressed the battalion commander in a field operation. This 1st Lieutenant would normally excel in the traditional counseling process, because his rater and senior rater have the impression that he is above and beyond the standard. Using the 360-degree process, lets say his platoon sergeant reports the 1st Lieutenant delegates much of his work to him and leaves work as early as possible. Some of his squad leaders complain that they always get stuck with volunteer duty while the 1st Lieutenant is off somewhere sleeping. His fellow 1st Lieutenants do not like the guy and view him as a show-off. When this review hits the senior raters desk it will give him a very different view and provide more insight than the traditional c ounseling report would provide. The above example showcases that when feedback comes from many sources, its more difficult for a person to brush aside constructive criticism and rationalize that the boss just has it in for me. If several people suggest that a leader needs to improve verbal communication skills, chances are high that this is indeed a necessary area for improvement. Another advantage of the 360-degree feedback process is that it is designed with a leadership focus in mind. Sometimes its difficult for individuals to understand the impact that their behavior may have on others. However, if they receive direct and frequent feedback on how their behaviors affect others they are more likely to be attentive. Studies show that the 360-degree feedback process is particularly strong when joined with an action plan developed by the person receiving feedback and shared with those providing the feedback. The action plan demonstrates the feedback was heard and the suggestions will be put to use as soon as possible. Studies also strongly suggest that each person receiving feedback, especially for the first time, should have a coach to help assess the comments and help to develop the action plan.  [3]  I recommend the 360-degree feedback process be coupled with competency-based job descriptions; this aids in placing an individual in a position based on the competencies of the position and it ensures the individual is evaluated on those same competencies. Now looking at 360-degree feedback from the perspective of what we learned in seminar about leadership styles. The trait theory assumes people are born with inherited traits and that some traits are particularly associated with great leaders. For instance, there is a scene in the highly-acclaimed and offbeat 1949 World War II film, 12 OClock High, in which Army Air Corps Colonel Keith Davenport, played by Gary Merrill, is the commander who becomes too close to his flyers and eventually cracks under the strain of seeing one of them commit suicide. Colonel Davenport portrayed significant traits to be successful as noted in the trait theory (willing to assume responsibility and alert to social environment). If he was assessed using the 360-degree feedback model, he would have received rave reviews from his supervisor, peers and subordinates based on his leadership style, but if evaluated on technical proficiency he would receive low marks due to the squadrons inability to perform precis ion daylight bombing. Major General Frank Savage replaced Colonel Davenport and pounded discipline and accountability into the squadron, and managed to get them back in the air with a new level of success. If General Savage was given the 360-degree feedback assessment, his rating would have surely required him to make an adjustment in his tough leadership style. This was evident by the number of transfer requests received from the pilots and the short fused IG inspection to assess squadron morale. General Savages tough leadership style ultimately proved to be successful with a significant increase in putting bombs on target as required for mission success. General Savage also projected many of the traits that are considered necessary to be a successful leader such as decisive, dependable, assertive, dominant and persistent. 360-degree feedback is not a substitute for managing poor performance. Instead it is a tool that can be implemented to help employees gain a rich, accurate perspective on how others view their leadership skills, interpersonal style and mission effectiveness. 360-degree feedback should not replace leaderships assessment and evaluation of performance. This is an important point because leaders may be tempted to use 360-degree feedback as a tool to facilitate behavior changes in poor performers. Rather than manage an employees day-to-day performance, leaders may view the multi-rater feedback process as a panacea. Although feedback from a 360-degree process can stimulate self-awareness, it cannot replace direct communication between an employee and his or her superior. An organization should exercise great care in implementing a 360-degree feedback system because unfamiliarity with a person, differences in job and task characteristics, differences in rank, and cognitive differences betwe en an employee and rater can distort assessments. Leaders should also be mindful not to view the 360- degree feedback process as a special event, using it once as part of a training or coaching session. If leaders make this mistake, the goal of ensuring that feedback is incorporated into continuous improvement plans will not be accomplished. Counter Argument To counter my thesis, I must mention that there are potential pitfalls that deal with trust and confidentiality. The key to overcoming pitfalls are to inform everyone of the plan and to stick to it. Additionally, privacy to recipients, and confidentiality to raters regarding the feedback they provide, is an absolute must. As previously described, the tricky part is that we are nearing the line of subordinates possessing the capability to directly influence a leaders career. While 360-degree feedback is not a panacea, impact from any of the above risks would likely be minimal at best with todays motivated, quality all-volunteer force. Nevertheless, it would make sense to establish safeguards wherever possible. Looking at the big picture, the benefits of 360-degree feedback far exceed the pitfalls that can be remedied with careful implementation and changes in organizational culture. Despite the benefits of 360-degree feedback, there are several potential risks which weaken its validity and effectiveness. The most common risk is wrongfully assuming that using feedback from multiple sources will compensate for intentional or unintentional distortion ( i.e. lying). The truth is that feedback collected incorrectly increases rather than decreases the occurrence of error; thus, destroying the credibility of the results. Conclusion I believe that 360-degree feedback should be incorporated into performance measures more specifically leadership, communication and mission effectiveness. The 360-degree feedback program is an excellent performance feedback tool and should be designed for counseling purposes only. There are a couple of ways to regulate the use of this information. The first way is to introduce this technique as a leader developmental tool. Initially, the services could use the train-the-trainer model at the deck plate level, while incorporating it into its school systems. This method will train all leaders and supervisors in the proper use. Given that all leaders have supervisors, I do not envision significant difficulties. I strongly believe our current leader development system can provide leaders for the future force; however, I strongly believe we can improve the system to make leaders more self-aware and thereby more effective. By implementing the 360-degree feedback method into our system, we w ill grow leaders who will win the many literal and figurative wars this nation faces in the future.

Dasein in Being There :: Essays Papers

Dasein in Being There Though I'm sure I didn't realize it back then, I spent a lot of time in my childhood mulling over the classic "nature vs. nurture" debate. Specifically, I wondered what would happen to a child separated from civilization at birth. If a person were locked in a room, never taught anything, and interacted with only by machines that delivered it food, then released into society at a certain age, how much would it know? How much would it be able to figure out? Could it survive? Some years after I'd abandoned this line of thinking, resigned to the fact that the experiment could probably never be carried out in an ethically acceptable way, a college professor encouraged me to read Jerzy Kosinski's novel Being There. In this novel's main character, Chance, I found, after a fashion, an approximation of the very project I'd been dreaming about all those years: a human being raised in a static and unexciting environment, with very few other human influences. The question of whether human beings have any intrinsic characteristics, or of what they may be, has been contemplated throughout the history of modern philosophy by thinkers such as Descartes and Locke. I believe, however, that it is the work and thought of Martin Heidegger to which a careful consideration of Being There will be most particularly relevant. Heidegger's concept of a human being is as an instance of that entity he calls "Dasein," a German term most literally translated into English as "there-being." Not only is this phrase reminiscent of the novel's title, it also describes rather appropriately the primary activity (if it can be called that) with which Chance's life is occupied. Chance's origins lie in obscurity, as much to himself as to the reader. He was orphaned at an age too young for him to have any memory of his biological parents. His sole custodian is the figure he knows only as "the Old Man," who has provided for him all his life. Chance takes care of the Old Man's garden, but rarely interacts with the man himself. His meals are prepared by one of the other servants in the Old Man's employ. Aside from working in the garden, eating, and sleeping, Chance's only pastime is watching television. It is TV alone that has given him whatever perception or understanding of culture and the normal commerce of society he may have.

Essay --

Arjen johtaminen kolmesta nà ¤kà ¶kulmasta Onnistuakseen esimiehen pità ¤Ãƒ ¤ miettià ¤ omat johtamisperiaatteensa syvà ¤llisesti. Periaatteet jotka on harkitut auttavat, kun eteen tulee yllà ¤ttà ¤vià ¤ tilanteita. Se ei ole harvinaista kun toimitaan esimiestyà ¶ssà ¤. Periaatteiden lisà ¤ksi johdonmukaisuus on tà ¤rkeà ¤Ãƒ ¤. Arvovaltasi murenee jos sanot yhtà ¤ ja teet toista. Kaikesta edellà ¤ sanotusta huolimatta viisas johtaja osaa myà ¶s joustaa periaatteistaan. Kiveen kirjoitetut sà ¤Ãƒ ¤nnà ¶t eivà ¤t koskaan pysty ratkomaan kaikkia mahdollisia tilanteita parhain pà ¤in. Esimiehellà ¤ tulee olla tilanne-tajua ja pelisilmà ¤Ãƒ ¤. †Kehityskeskustelut on usein kompastuskivi sillà ¤ se on terminà ¤ ja kà ¤sitteenà ¤ nykyisin sekoitus terapiaa, molemminpuolista epà ¤varmuutta, mà ¤Ãƒ ¤rà ¤muotoisuutta ja yleisempà ¤Ãƒ ¤ yrityksen epà ¤tietoisuutta. Ohjaamisen và ¤lineenà ¤ se on hidasliikkeinen ja todellisuuteen hatarasti kiinnittynyt† (Moisalo 2010). Tiimit olivat rakentaneet esityksensà ¤ varsin mallikkaasti ja keskustelu kà ¤vi vilkkaana teemakeskusteluissa. Esimiehen palautteen antamista alaiselleen pidettiin merkittà ¤và ¤nà ¤ kannustajana sillà ¤ sen todettiin parantavan yksilà ¶n, ryhmà ¤n ja yrityksen tuloksia sekà ¤ tehokkuutta. Palautteen antaminen auttaa, silloin kun se on kaksisuuntaista, tunnistamaan ja ratkaisemaan ongelmia sekà ¤ selkiyttà ¤mà ¤Ãƒ ¤n tavoitteita ja lisà ¤Ãƒ ¤mà ¤Ãƒ ¤n tyà ¶motivaatiota. Palautteen antamisella on myà ¶s tyà ¶hyvinvointia yllà ¤pità ¤và ¤ vaikutus. Palaute Palautteen antamisessa on kuitenkin huomioitava seuraavat seikat. Palaute tulee olla - tyà ¶- ja asiakeskeistà ¤ - rakentavaa, neuvovaa ja kehittà ¤và ¤Ãƒ ¤ - yksilà ¶llistà ¤ eli otetaan yksilà ¶ huomioon palautteen sisà ¤llà ¶ssà ¤ ja palautteen antotavassa - palaute tulee olla vuorovaikutteista - perusteltua jolloin kerrotaan palautteeseen vaikuttavat tekijà ¤t Palaute tulisi a... ...ovat valmiita joustamaan muuttuvissa tilanteissa. Hiljainen tieto erottaa mestarin ja noviisin toisistaan, vaikka heillà ¤ olisikin sama koulutustausta. Hiljainen tieto on yritysten keskeinen henkinen pà ¤Ãƒ ¤oma, joka muodostuu koko organisaation yhteisestà ¤ ja sen jà ¤senten yksilà ¶llisestà ¤ osaamisesta, tiedosta ja taidoista. Hiljainen tieto karttuu và ¤hitellen yhteisessà ¤ tyà ¶skentelyssà ¤. Yhteisà ¶ on aina tietà ¤và ¤mpi ja etevà ¤mpi kuin kaikkien jà ¤senten osaamisen summa. Suuri osa tà ¤stà ¤ yhteisestà ¤ osaamisesta on yhteisen kokemuksen kautta hankittua hiljaista tietoa. Koska sità ¤ on vaikea dokumentoida, mahdoton pukea sanoiksi, se on itsestà ¤Ãƒ ¤n selvà ¤Ãƒ ¤ eikà ¤ sità ¤ tarvitse dokumentoida. Tarkoituksella, jolloin se on joko salaista tai pantattua. Todettiin lopuksi myà ¶s ettà ¤ on myà ¶s negatiivista hiljaista tietoa, jota ei haluta siirtà ¤Ãƒ ¤ ja ettà ¤ yksintyà ¶skentelyssà ¤ hiljaista tietoa ei siirry.

Wind Power: The Cheap, Effective and Reliable Energy Source :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Wind Power: The Cheap, Effective and Reliable Energy Source In 1996, the Moores were faced with a disturbing problem. A nearby mine owned by Arch Coal had removed the top of a mountain near the town of Blair to access the coal seam beneath. Most residents chose to move out to avoid the "blast rock," or chunks of rock that came raining down after the massive blasts, and the thick chocking dust that filled the town. The Moores, however, stayed. According to Victoria Moore, the conditions were atrocious. The thick dust upset their son's asthma, and the sound of explosions constantly shook the town. "If you were inside, it interrupted your life. If you were outside, it interrupted your life," said Victoria. "...I couldn't sit on my porch without getting dust on me, I couldn't even walk in my grass. I couldn't get in my car. I couldn't even let my kids go out and play." Finally even the Moores were forced to move out (Buying Blair). This Logan County coal mine is one of hundreds across the United States. The majority of the coal from these mines g oes to run coal-fired power plants that provide electricity to homes across America. The sad part of this story really is that it did not need to happen. Now, with massive advancements in wind energy, coal has become largely outdated and ineffective. Instead of removing the top of the mountain near Blair, a wind farm could have been built. Electricity produced from new wind farms is more economical in dollar terms than electricity produced by new coal-fired power plants. And, if the detrimental environmental side effects and costs of burning coal are factored in, wind power looks even better. Wind power has been around since early civilization. It possibly preceded the use of animals to grind grain, and was invented either in China or Persia. Historians speculate that the windmill technology was then moved to Europe during the crusades. The Dutch were the first major industrial users of windmills. They used them to pump sea water out of the hand made dikes to increase land area. Until the invention of electricity, windmills were mostly used for pumping and grinding grain (Berry). In the US, as electricity became widely used, many people still living too far away from the power lines attempted to use their water pumping windmills to run generators. This failed because the pumping wind mills were used for high torque, low speed applications, which was the opposite of what the electric generators required.

Nature-Nurture Debate Essay

Introduction In this report I will examine and explain effective communication by looking at the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care context, theories of communication, methods of communication (verbal, non-verbal and written communication), communication cycle, what is effective communication, formal and informal communication, differences between language and culture. Communication between people enables us to exchange ideas and information, but it involves much more than simply passing on information to others. Communication helps people to feel safe, to form relationships and develop self-esteem. Poor communication can make an individual feel vulnerable, inferior and emotionally threatened. Effective communication helps us understand a person or situation, enables us to resolve differences, build trust and respect and create an warm environment. The effective communication helps us improving communication skills in everyday live, business, relationships, but also in health and social care context. Learning and understanding the effective communication skills the people can better connect with the family members, friends, co-workers (by improving teamwork), people looked after in care homes. What is effective communication Effective communication combines a set of skills including verbal and non-verbal communication, attentive listening, the ability to manage stress, the capacity to recognize and understand your own emotions and those of the person you are communicating with . Effective communication is about more than exchanging information. It requires also understanding the emotion behind the information. It enables us to communicate even negative or difficult messages without creating conflict or destroying trust. Effective communication-Methods of communication Verbal communication The basis of communication is the interaction between people. Verbal communication is the main way for people to communicate face to face. The components of the verbal communication are: sounds, words, speaking and language. Only people can put meaning into words; words alone have no meaning. As meaning is an assigned to words, language develops, which leads to the development of speaking. Over 3000 languages and major dialects are spoken in the world. The huge variety of languages creates difficulties between different languages, but even in one language there can be many problems in understanding. Speaking can be looked in two major areas: interpersonal and public speaking. To communicate effectively we must not simply clean up our language, but learn to relate to people. To be an effective communicator, one must speak in a manner that is not offending to the receiver. Listening Successful listening means not just understanding the words or the information being communicated, but also understanding how the speaker feels about what they are communicating. Effective listening can: -create an environment where everyone feels safe; -save time; -relieve negative emotions; -focus fully on the speaker, make the speaker feel heard and understood; -avoid interrupting; -show you interest. The communication cycle According to Michael Argyle(1972) skilled interpersonal interaction (social skills) involves a cycle in which you have to translate or â€Å"decode† what other people are communicating and constantly adapt you own behaviour in order to communicate effectively. Good communication involves the process of checking understanding, using reflective or active listening. The communication cycle supposes: -an idea occurs: you have an idea that you want to communicate; -message coded: you think through how you are going to say what you are thinking and you put your thoughts in to language or sign language; -message sent: you speak, or sign, or write, or send your message in some other way; -message received: the other person has to sense your message; -message decoded: the other person has to interpret or â€Å"decode† your message; -message understood: your ideas will be understood if all goes well. Non-verbal communication Non-verbal means â€Å"without words†, so non-verbal communication refers to the messages that we send without using words. We send these messages using our eyes, the tone of our voice, our facial expression, our hands and arms, the way we sit or stand. We can enhance effective communication by using open body language (arms uncrossed, standing with an open stance, maintaining eye contact with the person you are talking to). When we speak about non-verbal communication we actually mean: -posture; -the way we move; -facing other people; -gestures; -facial expression; -touch; -silence; -voice tone; -proximity; -reflective listening. As well as remembering what a person says, good listeners will make sure that their non-verbal behaviour shows interest. Skilled listening involves: -looking interested and communicating that you are ready to listen; -hearing what it is said to you; -remembering what was said to you, together with non-verbal messages; -checking your understanding with the person who was speaking to you. Written communication When people remember conversations they have had, they will probably miss out or change some details. Written statements are much more permanent and if they are accurate when they are written, they may be useful later on. Written records are essential for communicating formal information that needs to be reviewed at a future date. For the people who cannot see written scripts or who have limited vision there is a communication system known as Braille which uses raised marks that can be felt with the fingers and it’s based on the sense of touch. This system is now widely used for reading and writing by the people who cannot see written script. Theories of communication The verbal and non-verbal communication is not always straightforward. Effective communication involves a two-way process in which each person tries to understand the view point of the other person. According to Michael Argyle (1972) interpersonal communication is a skill that could be learned and developed. Skilled interpersonal communication, interaction(social skills) involve a cycle in which you have to translate or â€Å"decode† what people are communicating and constantly adapt your own behaviour in order to communicate effectively. The communication cycle involves a kind of code that has to be translated. The stages of communication cycle might be: 1. An idea occurs. 2. Message coded. 3. Message sent. 4. Message received. 5. Message decoded. 6. Message understood. Tuckman ‘s stages of group interaction Bruce Wayne Tuckman(1965) argued that communication in groups can be influenced by the degree to which people feel they belong together. Tuckman suggested that most groups go through a process involving four stages: 1. Forming refers to people meeting for the first time and sharing information. 2. Storming involves tension, struggle and arguments about the way the group may function. 3. Norming sees the group coming together and agreeing on their group values. 4. Performing means that the group will be an effectively performing group, once they have established common expectations and values. Formal and informal communication in health and social care Health and social care work often involves formal communication, which is understood by a wide range of people and shows respect for others. Usually care workers will adjust the way they speak, in order to communicate respect for different communities they address to, as the service users, visitors, colleagues. Formal communication is used in local authority social services and supposes proper English. It also shows respect for others (e.g.: if one went to a local authority social services reception desk, that person will expect to be greeted in a formal way like â€Å"Hello! How can I help you?†, and not informally, like â€Å"Hi! How’s it going?† In many situations such informal language could make people feel not being respected; so it is often risky to use informal language unless you are sure that people expect you to do so. The formal communication is also used in social care services with the manager and even between colleagues if they don’t know very well each other. Otherwise, when they know each other better, they will use informal language. Communication with people at work (between colleagues) is different, because care workers must communicate respect for each other. Colleagues, who do not show respect for each other, may fail to show respect for people who use care services. Colleagues have to develop trust in each other. It is important to demonstrate respect for confidentiality of conversation with colleagues. Care settings may have their own social expectations about the correct way to communicate thoughts and feelings. Communication between professional people and people using services involves the professionals being well aware of the need to translate technical language in to everyday language, when they work with people from other professions or people who use services. Professional people such as doctors or nurses often use their own specialised language, called jargon. It is important that people check that they are being understood correctly. Differences between language and culture Language There are many minority languages in the world. Some people grow up in multilingual communities, where they learn several languages from birth. Many people have grown up using only one language to think and communicate. People who learn a second language later in life find more difficult to express their thoughts and feelings in that language, and prefer to use their first language. Working with later languages can be difficult, as mental translation may be required. Different localities, ethnic groups, professions and work cultures have their own special words or phrases known as speech communities. Some people might feel threatened or excluded by that kind of language they encounter in these speech communities. The technical terminology used by care workers (called jargon) can also create barriers for people who are not a part of that speech community. When people who use services communicate with professionals there is always a risk of misunderstanding between people from different language communities, therefore the health and social care staff needs to check their understanding with the people communicating with them. Culture means the history, customs and ways of behaving that people learn as they grow up. People from different regions use different expressions. Also non-verbal signs may vary from culture to culture. In Europe and North America people often expect other people to look them in the eyes when talking. If a person looks down or away they think it is a sign of dishonesty, sadness or depression. On the other hand, in some other cultures (some black communities or Muslim communities) looking down or away when talking is a sign of respect. (E.g.: in social care settings a Hindu or Muslim person will not accept to be looked after by a person of the opposite sex). People from different geographical areas who use different words and pronounce words differently, they are often using a different dialect. Some social groups use slang (non standard words that are understood by other members of a social group or community, but which cannot be usually found in a dictionary). BTEC Level 3-Health and Social Care-Book 1-Beryl Stretch/Mary Whitehouse www.helpguide.org/effectivecommunication http://louisville.edu