Effective Communication Skills For Social Workers

Verbal Communication

Two main verbal communication skills are listening skills and interview skills. These are crucial for building effective and respectful relationships with service users, which lie at the heart of the best social work practitioner. 

Verbal communication is a crucial skill in social work practice. It refers to facial interactions. Which includes the impact of actual words we use while speaking. Social workers must be aware of HOW and WHAT they say in certain situations.

For example, if the social worker does not get the situation correctly, it will inevitably create barriers. Further, social workers tend to work for vulnerable sections of society. Therefore, it is possible that their involvement may invoke reactions of fear or shame. As a result, this will cause them to feel not listened to or misunderstood. 

Furthermore, the social worker must obliterate any disbelief or power issues to build a transparent relationship with each client. Either this power is real or anticipated in particular situations.

On the other hand, unity plays a vital role during the interview process. It may not be entirely achievable to destroy the power imbalance. Yet, being aware of the need to achieve unity is another key. And unity can be achieved by using the proper verbal language. So that the service user can fully understand and be listened to. 

Indeed, verbal cmmunication skills for social workers also play a significant role. Especially when you’re working with other professions and even colleagues. It is also essential for assessments and decision-making.

Social workers can show respect, warmth, and non-judgement for clients through such skills.  To learn more about this, check out this course on Effective Communication Skills.

Non-Verbal Communication

Non-verbal communication is a major component of interpersonal skill collection. It includes facial expression, posture, eye contact, and personal presentation. Also, non-verbal communication can contradict or support verbal communication. 

The influence of non-verbal communication is not a new concept in this profession. There are two dimensions of non-verbal communication-

Non-verbal Decoding

Non-verbal decoding refers to understanding the emotions carried through other’s non-verbal signs, such as facial expressions, voice tone, and body movements. 

Non-verbal Encoding

Non-verbal encoding refers to the capacity to express emotion through non-verbal signals. You can gather much knowledge of non-verbal communication by using observation skills.

According to professionals, there are five thousand hand gestures. And one thousand body postures exist along with that. Therefore, precise observation skills can be essential for social workers interviewing a client.

For example, the service user may tell the social worker they are coping fine and don’t need any help. However, a good social worker will contradict this by observing the client’s facial expression or body language. A social worker must be aware of their capability for non-verbal communication. Although, this capability is always somewhat limited. This capacity will provide them with an opportunity to analyse their role and impact. 

Active Listening

Listening is the most utilised form of communication. Listening may appear straightforward. But, listening qualifies as the most prominent kind of communication. However, active listening skills need to be learned, practised in training, and developed. Also, it needs to be refreshed for practical use in real situations. 

Active listening describes particular and demanding alertness on the social worker. Especially when involved in interviewing a client. Active listening is about being present emotionally, psychologically, and socially; not just physically. 

The social worker can convey total interest and understand a client by using skills such as- paraphrasing, thoughtful questioning, open and closed questioning

Self-awareness

The concept of self-awareness is vital in social work interviewing. Experts define self-awareness as “The process of getting to know your feelings, attitudes and values”. A key aspect of self-awareness is being aware of how others may perceive us. For example, in an interview, the social worker may think they are being laid back. However, for the client, it may be perceived as being uncaring.

Supervision is, therefore, an essential tool to explore any issues and gain feedback. Further importance of self-awareness is, understanding how external factors may affect social workers. Social workers should be aware of notions such as triggers, transference, and blind spots during the interview.

Be aware that the worker could be affected by a situation without knowing. Therefore, the use of ‘self’ is significant.

Empathy

Empathy is another major communication skill in social work interviewing. This skill requires knowing or appreciating the sentiments of others. Social workers must display sensitivity and respect to their client’s feelings. 

However, a social worker needs to be able to differentiate between empathy and sympathy. Therefore, it is a fundamental skill to achieving empathy, not merely expressing sympathy.

Personal Learning

Communication today is very influential. Both in the business world and private life. You need strong communication skills to do any good for society, despite the category of your profession. 

Speaking, listening, and writing are vital skills that a social worker needs to tap into every day unless they don’t want to perform best in their profession.