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Kathryn O’Connor
Factors that Support and Inhibit Communication

There are a variety of factors that can either support or inhibit communication; these include
environment (i
...
temperature, lighting and room layout), positioning, care values and emotion
...

Space
The space and setting of a room is very important when trying to support communication
...
This is because the second room would be seen as a more informal setting therefore more
inviting, very often carers put photos and plants around each room therefore imitating what the
resident’s previous home might’ve been like, making the resident more comfortable and ready to
communicate in this new environment
...
For example in a counselling session an open room would be ideal because you would
want to feel calm about the conversation you were having without feeling like you were in a
pressured environment
...
In a counselling
session the room being too big may make it feel detached and uncomfortable for the person
discussing their problems
...

Noise
Noise can support communication, having some low background noise such as a radio or some quiet
music can relax people and make people feel more comfortable when speaking because they are not
‘breaking the silence’
...
Noise can also
inhibit communication because an environment with loud music or lots of shouting can prevent
interaction and conversation
...

Room layout
The layout of a room is very important when supporting communication
...
If somebody
was talking to their care worker or counsellor about something that was an important or sensitive
issue and they were sat at a comfortable distance where they could talk without having to raise their

Kathryn O’Connor
voices this would be an ideal setting for this situation
...
Some
people cannot cope with being too close to others and remove themselves from the situation, if this
were to happen it would not be supporting communication
...
It can also feel like a very informal
setting if furniture is placed too far apart or if there are items, such as tables, in between chairs and
sofas
...

Lighting
The lighting in a room can either support communication or inhibit it; if the light is unsuitable
because it is too low then we would not be able to see each other and obstacles around us, we
would also not be able to read one another’s facial expressions and body language
...
Dim lighting can also cause people to feel drowsy which would mean people
would not want to hold a conversation, this could be a problem in a care home as the residents are
not usually too energetic anyway so causing them to feel more drowsy would hinder their
communication further
...
In contrast if the doctor’s surgery was too brightly lit or not shaded from the
brightness of the sun then it could cause patients who have a headache to suffer and a doctor or
patient to be distracted because of sunlight shining through a window and struggling to see one
another
...

However if someone was in a room that had the heating on and no air flow they would begin to feel
hot and uncomfortable, the heat would also make them feel tired and they would not focus on
whatever they were doing; for example: in a doctor’s office if a doctor had spent many hours in one
room that was very hot then they would be drowsy and may not give their full attention to their
patients
...
This may mean that they do not tell the doctor about all of their symptoms and therefore
not receive a correct diagnosis
...

One to one:
One to one positioning can support and inhibit communication for example when communicating
with somebody on a one to one basis you have to make sure it is set out properly so that neither one
of the persons feels at all intimidated or uncomfortable
...
When
talking to one another in a one to one situation you should maintain eye contact so that the other
person knows that you are focused on them and are interested in what they have to say
...
In a meeting about a patient in a care
home every care worker must be able to see and hear each other- therefore a circular table would
be ideal
...
A spacious layout is better than a
cramped one to avoid the issue of people feeling cramped especially when
they do not know each other well
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They will be comfortable with each other and can hold a comfortable
and private conversation, in this situation no one else will be able to hear their
conversation
...

This layout could support communication and this could be used for a
presentation where there is an individual speaker, the audience will be
able to hear well and make eye contact with the person presenting
...

This is because some people can feel threatened if people come too close to them, therefore you
have to make sure that when you are communication you keep a certain distance between you
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