- Your introduction and theory should be mainly description and explanation;
The section about your interactions should be descriptive with explanation and evaluation of the effects and effectiveness
The section about your skills should be explanation and evaluation with examples to illustrate taken from earlier in your work - Mark Band 1 = describe; Mark Band 2 = explain Mark band 3 = evaluate
- When discussing effective communication methods and Care Value Base make sure that you describe and explain the EFFECTS on the client / listener of doing or not doing …
- When talking about the Care Value Base make sure that you describe what it means in practice for the care worker.
- Remember to include details of the laws supporting the Care Value Base
- Discrimination includes pre-judging and stereotyping- did you pre-judge your 'clients'? had you already formed a picture in your mind of who they were and what they would be like before you met them? Did this affect how you interacted with them?
- Barriers need to be described in general and their effects and then applied to your interactions. Again, DON'T FORGET the effects they have on the listener.
- Use your textbook don't just copy chunks from the internet - it isn't always relevant and appropriate
- You can use diagrams eg the communication cycle and acrostics eg SOLER, you don't have to make everything written.
- Set the scene - Did you do any preparation? what? why? how? How useful was it in the event? Did you ask permission? from whom? how? Did you speak to the manager/ owner/ teacher? How? when? why? Who chose who you would talk to? why? did you introduce yourself? how? why? how did the client respond? etc.
- Your description of the interactions should be a piece of writing which describes and explains what went on in your interactions with examples of the words spoken. This will include actions, body language, environment, barriers etc. Try to imagine it as a sort of story - you're telling the examiner what happened so that she understands the context of the analysis and evaluation.
- Give examples.
- Having described move on to EXPLAIN - ask yourself HOW? how did I do this? how did he/she show me? / how do I know?
- Having explained with examples EVALUATE the effects on the participants, the effectiveness of the communication - do this by asking yourself WHY? and SO WHAT?
- Give full descriptions, use specialist vocabulary, but also describe what you mean. Don't make sweeping statements without backing them with examples and evidence eg 'I was good at this' -describe what you did, explain why you think it was good, how do you know it was good? how did the listener respond to it? was it what you wanted to happen? how did it make the communication more effective?
- Your transcripts of the conversations need to be in the appendix - at the end of your work. But do refer to them and quote from them.
- When describing and explaining how you used the Care Value Base make sure that you answer what? how? why? and what effect?
- You are evaluating YOUR communication skills - what did you do? do you normally do this? how effective is it? what are the effects on your listener of you doing this / not doing this?
- When evaluating your work and drawing conclusions make sure that you use examples to show your points.
- There = not here; their = belonging to them!!
- affect = the verb eg noise affects our ability to hear; effect = the noun eg the effect of noise is that we can't hear properly
- Don't forget basic grammar - capital letters for proper names, full stops and capital letters to divide into sentences.
- Use paragraphs and subtitles. , don't squash your work - give yourself space - new pages if necessary.
- include photos of yourself if you can't explain eg open and closed posture.
