Reflective Essay Writing - Interpersonal Communication Journal

Internal Code: MAS5073

Reflective Essay Writing:

1. Assessment 1  This assessment involves reflecting on multiple sources of feedback on your interpersonal communication skills; designing goals and strategies in response to identified communication strengths and weaknesses, keeping a journal of communication interactions over a 10-day period. 2. Pre-work related to this assessment Before your second tutorial, read this guide and go to UTSOnline and undertake the pre-work for the first tutorial. One element of this pre-work is the ‘Online interpersonal communication skill test’. Take a screenshot or copy down the ‘Snapshot Report at the end. You will need this later for reflecting on your interpersonal communication skills. From your previous studies in ATHC1, revise:

• Postural Blood Pressure
• Assessing Fluid Balance
• Calculating a Body Mass Index (BMI)

3. In-class role-play activity Bring your mobile phone, or an alternative device capable of capturing video. During your tutorial, you will be put into groups of 3 for a role-play activity. In your group, you will take it in turns being a patient, a registered nurse and a camera person. Each member of the group will choose a different clinical activity from the list: postural blood pressure, fluid balance, or calculating a BMI. The student playing the nurse will introduce themselves to the student playing the patient and negotiate the care they are wanting to provide. The third student will borrow the student playing the nurse’s phone or other recording devices, and film the interaction from the patient’s perspective (over the patient’s shoulder), being careful to only film the nurse. In this way, each student will go home, with video footage of themselves on their own device. This is important for privacy restrictions and will also demonstrate to you, what you look like to the patient. Do not upload these videos to social media. Following the role-play activity, each ‘patient’ will assess their ‘nurse’ on their interpersonal communication skills using a checklist (Appendix 1). It is very important to provide an honest but supportive critique. This feedback will be incorporated into the final essay. If you simply tick agree or strongly agree to all the elements on the peer review sheet, you disadvantage your classmate by not giving them anything to include in their discussion of their communication strengths and weaknesses. You will also reflect independently on the video footage of you communicating with the patient on your own device. 4. 10-day Communication Journal In the Assessment 3 folder on UTS Online you will find a document called ‘Communication Journal Template’. Save this document to your computer. Over a 10-day period use the Communication Journal to record interactions you have with other people in your everyday life. Some examples of the types of situations you may record include:

• Needing to clarify something you have not understood
• Asking another person about themselves
• Speaking in a group
• Asking someone for a favor
• Wanting to say "no" to a request
• Giving or seeking information
• Receiving negative feedback about yourself
• Explaining why you did or said something
• Disagreeing with someone
• Seeking assistance from someone
• Expressing concern/wanting to help someone else
• Demonstrating to someone that you care about them
• Being assessed on your spoken English
• Having to speak in public (e.g. group presentation in class, ward handover etc)

Record these interactions as soon as possible after they occur. Include a description of what happened, what you thought about what happened and how you felt about what happened. After you have recorded these interactions for about 10 days, review them to determine your major strengths when interacting with other people and those areas in which you think you could improve. What did you notice about your interpersonal interactions?  For example, I notice that I don't always listen when I am worried about what I am going to say. What are your strengths and areas for improvement? For example, I am good at starting conversations with people I don't know. What are your personal goals for improving your ability to interact and relate to others? For example, I would like to be able to seek clarification so that I am sure I understand. 5. Reflective Essay: Interpersonal Communication Choose two significant interactions from the Communication Journal to discuss in your reflective essay.