Navigating misunderstandings

Question 1

Define misunderstanding.

Answer 1

Misunderstandings occur through lack of comprehension with regards to what is being communicated between two or more parties.

Question 2

List the factors that affect achievement of mutual understanding.

Answer 2

1. Language
2. Word usage
3. Making assumptions about meaning
4. The context
5. Differing expectations and desires
6. Presence of strong emotions
7. Time invested to negotiate meaning

Question 3

Give examples of how two of these factors can affect communication.

Answer 3

1. Allowing yourself to be controlled by your individual emotions may hinder the clarity of information being presented for another party.
2. Making assumptions about the meaning of what someone is saying can cause misunderstandings if your assumptions are wrong.

Question 4

Give original examples of each cause of misunderstandings.

Answer 4

1. Communicating to someone in an unfamiliar language without the use of an interpreter can cause misunderstandings.
2. Using slang or casual language that aren’t appropriate to the topics being discussed may cause misunderstandings.
3. People who are happy to make assumptions only serve themselves rather than seeking the truth.
4. Being aware of the context behind certain situations provides clarity when first looking at something on a surface level.
5. Someone may have differing expectations going into consultations if they have a pre conceived notion around how they think things are meant to go.
6. Strong emotions can cloud intentions and may give off the wrong messages.
7. Cutting meetings short before full comprehension is achieved may result in the client piecing incorrect pieces of information together thus misunderstanding the intended message.

Question 5

In your own words, list four ways to reduce the incidence of misunderstandings.

Answer 5

1. Make sure to prepare for interactions prior to the events and approach the information provided without creating assumptions on the client.
2. Make sure to learn about indigenous clients backgrounds before the interaction in order to figure out how best to communicate. In may be best to include a third party interpreter in order to ensure that message comprehension is achieved however when doing so you must assign the interpreter based off their experience with the appropriate language rather than nationality.
3. Make sure to control your speech ensuring that you don’t talk too fast or too slow.
4. Organise how you plan to structure a meeting beforehand. This means noting down key talking points and presenting them in a digestible manner.

Question 6

List the six steps that will assist the health professional to resolve misunderstandings.

Answer 6

1. Being aware that a misunderstanding has occurred and acting to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
2. Controlling negative emotions before speaking is important to resolving communication issues.
3. Understanding the cause of previous misunderstandings will help to eliminate misunderstandings in the future.
4. Understanding that isolating the cause of the issue isn’t the same as dealing with the issue.
5. Make a conscious decision to restore communication to achieve mutual understanding. This will help the professional preserver throughout any barriers which may come their way.
6. Focus on understanding with clear explanation and humble validation of understanding (Wachterman et al 2015)(Page234), not on the caise of the misunderstanding. If the health professional focuses on restoring communication it will assist in resolving the negative emotions associated with the misunderstanding.