Lesson Element
Unit 1: Building positive relationships in health
and social care
Communication Skills
Instructions and answers for tutors
These instructions cover the learner activity section which can be found on page 6. This
Lesson Element supports Cambridge Technicals in Health and Social Care Level 3.
When distributing the activity section to the learners either as a printed copy or as a
Word file you will need to remove the tutor instructions section.
The activity
In this Lesson Element the learners are tasked with completing a research activity and role
play to demonstrate their understanding of effective communication skills in health, social
care or child care environments.
Suggested timings
Activity 1

2 hours
Activity 2

2 hours
ABC – This activity offers an
opportunity for English skills
development.
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123 – This activity offers an
opportunity for maths skills
development.
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WORK – This activity offers
an opportunity for work
experience.
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Activity 1
Ask your learners to research the following three theories of communication:
1. Argyle’s stages of the communication cycle.
2. Tuckman’s stages of group interaction.
3. Egan’s SOLER framework.
Learners can present their findings as a presentation or explanation and can also use
diagrams.
Learners’ answers should include the following key points:
1. Argyle’s stages of the communication cycle.

His main areas of research.

The theory Argyle developed i.e. of how communication works that involved a
communication cycle that consisted of 6 stages: 1) Idea First Occurs (when you have
thought and you want to convey it to another person or people), 2) Message Coded
(when you place your thought into a form of communication) 3) Message Sent (when
you convey your message to another person or people) 4) Message Received (when
your message has been received by another person or people) 5) Message Decoded
(when your message is being made sense of by the other person or people) and 6)
Message Understood (when your message is fully understood by the other person or
people in the way you intended it to be).

Why his research is useful for health and social care contexts i.e. His research
showed how non-verbal signals could be more important than verbal communication
to convey individuals’ feelings and attitudes.
2. Tuckman’s stages of group interaction.

His main areas of research.

The theory Tuckman developed i.e. Tuckman’s original group development model
consisted of the following 4 stages: 1) Forming (where the group members are
getting to know each other), 2) Storming (where group members begin to ascertain
their views and ideas that may be similar to and/or in contrast to the views and ideas
of others), 3) Norming (where the group establish their aim and individual group
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members’ roles and responsibilities) and 4) Performing (where the group works
effectively and the group members work together to a consistently high standard).
Tuckman later revised this and developed Stage 5 which was named Adjourning
(where the group achieve their aim and complete their work, an opportunity for group
members to recognise their achievements and move on). He originally developed a
four stage model (he later refined and developed this further and added a fifth stage)
after studying the behaviours of small groups of people in a range of different
environments.

Why his research is useful for health and social care contexts i.e. his research
showed how groups need to go through a series of different processes or stages
before they can reach their full potential and work effectively. This can be applied to
groups/teams of people who work together.
3. Egan’s SOLER framework.

His main areas of research.

The framework Egan developed i.e. Egan developed an acronym SOLER; S –
Squarely (how to position yourself in relation to the other person), O – Open (how to
maintain an open posture i.e. uncrossed arms, legs), L – Lean (the effects that
leaning towards the other person can have), E – Eye contact (how to maintain eye
contact) and R – Relax (the effects that being relaxed can have on the other person).

Why his research is useful for health and social care contexts i.e. it describes a
number of key techniques that are essential for active listening in communication.
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Activity 2
Ask your learners to read through each scenario and emphasise to them that each one is
focused on a different environment i.e. Scenario 1 – social care, Scenario 2 - health and
Scenario 3 – child care.
Pair up/group together learners that have chosen the same scenario and ask them to
discuss the scenario first and think about how it relates to communication skills and
relationships. Number each pair/group.
Explain to the whole group that each pair/group of learners will then need to develop a script
to prepare their role play and present it to the rest of the group. Explain that each role play
must last a minimum of 10 minutes and that observation sheets will be completed by the
tutor and their peers.
Tutors could observe the following skills being role played in each scenario:
For example, in Scenario 1 the care worker could speak slowly and slow the communication
down so that it conveys compassion and empathy. The tone used by the care worker could
be quiet and the pitch low to convey a gentle manner. You would also expect the care
worker to be at the same level as the older gentleman i.e. sitting down next to him and
observing how he is feeling. The care worker may also be asking the gentleman a number of
different questions about how he is feeling.
In Scenario 2 the health care assistant will be experiencing an element of surprise but also
happiness. The health care assistant may reflect this by speaking quickly and using a
hurried pace, in a loud tone and using a high pitch. Although the health care assistant is
pleased to receive the positive feedback form the family it is important that the health care
assistant maintains own professionalism and is not over friendly with the family.
In Scenario 3 the child care worker will want to convey a sense of calm to the child and so
could speak slowly to the child, using a slow pace. The tone of voice used by the child care
worker could be low and the pitch also low and clear to enable the child to relax and feel
calm. The child care worker’s body language would also be very important here in terms of
diffusing the situation. The child care worker would be aware of own proximity to the child
too.
Explain to the whole group that whilst learners are presenting their role plays to the rest of
the group all those observing will also complete an observation sheet in relation to each
scenario they observe and the communication skills that are being used.
Once all learners have presented their role plays collect the tutor and learner observation
sheets for each Scenario and post them up in three areas of the room. Ask learners to look
at these and then discuss effective communication skills for each scenario.
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Observing Communication Skills
Pair/group Name
or Number:
Scenario Number:
Communications Skills Observed:
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Lesson Element
Communication Skills
Learner Activity
Introduction
Good working relationships in health, social care and child care environments are based on
effective communication. You are going to complete two activities: a research activity and
then a role play to demonstrate your understanding of effective communication skills.
Activity 1
Research the following three theories of communication:
1. Argyle’s stages of the communication cycle.
2. Tuckman’s stages of group interaction.
3. Egan’s SOLER framework.
You will find the following sources useful for information about these:
1. This article provides useful information about Argyle:
http://www.mbsportal.bl.uk/taster/subjareas/busmanhist/mgmtthinkers/argyle.aspx
2. Mind Tools is a useful source of information for Tuckman’s model; web page titled:
Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing accessed from:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm
3. Article Outlook is a useful source of information about Egan’s SOLER framework:
http://www.articleoutlook.com/soler-theory/
Now complete the Communication Theories table below.
Using your research, provide details about these theories of communication; you can
illustrate your answers with diagrams or pictures:
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Communication Theories
About Michael Argyle
What were his main areas of research?
Explain his theory.
Why is Argyle’s theory useful for health and social care? Provide examples:
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About Bruce Tuckman
What were his main areas of research?
Explain his theory.
Why is Tuckman’s theory useful for health and social care? Provide examples:
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About Gerrard Egan
What were his main areas of research?
Explain his theory.
Why is Egan’s theory useful for health and social care? Provide examples:
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Activity 2
Read the three scenarios that follow. Scenario 1 is related to social care, Scenario 2 is
related to health and Scenario 3 to child care.
Scenario 1: A care worker visits an older gentleman at home to support him to make his
lunch but realises that he is feeling unwell.
Scenario 2: A health care assistant finds out that one of the patients on the ward is going
home after a long stay in hospital. The patient and her family thank the healthcare assistant
for all her help and support.
Scenario 3: A child care worker is looking after a child who has autism and notices that
whilst taking him out into the garden he starts getting very agitated.
Choose a scenario and working in pairs/small groups prepare a script to role play this to the
whole group. Remember that your role play must last a minimum of 10 minutes and that your
communication skills will be observed by your tutor.
Once completed you will have an opportunity to observe other pairs/groups present their role
plays and take note of any effective communication skills you see being used. For each role
play being presented you must complete the observation sheet that follows.
Observing Communication Skills
Pair/group Name
or Number:
Scenario Number:
Communications Skills Observed:
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