Effective Styles of
Communication – Learning
to Work with Others
Tracy Humphreys BS, MS,
CRCST, CHL

Objectives
 Define Effective Communication
 4 Types of Communication
 What is Diversity?
 Personality Differences
 Define Professionalism
 Effective Communication and Teamwork
 Communication and Customer Service
 Motivation
 Employee Satisfaction

What is Communication?
 “Communication is the process of
transmitting information and understanding
from one person to another by use of words
and non-verbal expressions including body
language”
 Effective communication is an essential
component of success
 Human relations – development and
maintenance of effective interpersonal
relationships

Communication Facts
 100,000 words in the English language
 30,000-60,000 words in average person’s
vocabulary
 5,000 words have double meaning
 750,000 estimated body language symbols

Effective Communication
 Crucial to a good and positive working
environment
 Creates the atmosphere required for smooth
operation & great patient outcomes
 Does require practice

Types of Communication
 Verbal
 Talk with each other not at or to each other
 Hold discussions not speeches
 Nonverbal
 Body language
 Can be interpreted either positive or negative
 Written
 Specific, accurate and brief
 Listening
 Active

Communication
 In order to have
communication, both
listening and speaking
are necessary
 70% of all mistakes are
attributed to ineffective
communication
 25% of what is heard is
remembered

Communication
$100 $50 $25 $12.50 $6.25
“We hear only half of what is said to us, understand only half of
that, believe only half of that, and remember only half of that”
(Walker, 2002, as quoted in Cyr, 2004).
100% 50% 25% 12.5% 6.25%
spoken heard understood believed remembered
$100
1/2 1/2 1/2 1/2

Factors that Influence
Communication Effectiveness
 Face-to-Face Communication
 55% body language
 38% tone of voice
 7% spoken word
 Telephone Communication
 82% tone
 18% words

Basic Communication Skills
 #1 – senders analyze their receiver &
recognize their perspectives
 #2 – Use of feedback – ask open-ended
questions to assess if message was received
 Unstructured response is required
 #3 – Make the message meaningful
 Receive and develop messages based on their
own perceptions

5 C’s of Effective
Communication
 Consistency
 Clarification
 Commitment
 Collaboration
 Connection

Creates Positive Work
Environment
 5 C’s create by:
 Keeping communication channels open
 Creating a positive workplace atmosphere
 Encouraging positive co-worker attitudes
 Working in a professional manner at all times

Barriers of Effective
Communication
 Differing perceptions
 Lack of knowledge
 Role of emotions
 Personality
 Appearance
 Prejudice
 Distractions
 Language barriers – even though people appear to
speak the same language they may not be
communicating at all
 Information overload
 Use of Jargon and Slang

Principles of Listening
 Most important part of any communication is your
listening ability – it is a skill
 Don’t overreact to content or delivery
 Keep an open mind, ask questions
 Remove distractions, resist internal distractions
 Listen between the lines
 Adapt your thought speed
 Use all your senses
 Do not interrupt
 Paraphrase and ask for clarification

Active Listening
 Recognize the importance of listening
 Listening may be more important than speaking when
confronting difficult issues
 Benefits to active listening:
 Saves time (no need for later
clarification)
 Helps bring an accurate
assessment of the situation
 Encourages the speaker to
clarify; the speaker feels heard
 Reduces emotion which will
clarify thinking
Active listening is the skill of
listening with purpose with the
intent to understand. (Balfour, 2008)

Avoid Assumptions
 Do you have all the information?
 Do you have everyone’s perspective?
 It may not be – and probably isn’t – about you

Effective Communication
Strategies
 Think about what you want to say
 Wait until you are not angry
 Initiate the contact
 Affirm them as you begin
 Tell them you are struggling with a problem
 Outline the problem
 Seek to understand

Communicating with Others
 “You get what you are, not what you want”
 Behavior, communication, teamwork and
professionalism
 Understand others’ point of view
 Even if you disagree, take the time to learn &
understand another person’s perspective

Core and Common Goal
 Identify the purpose for the conversation
 Describe the situation or behavior
 Identify the result or impact to you; to others
 Communicate possible misunderstandings or lack of
information
 State common goal
 Communicate specific desired behavior
 Affirm the relationship and/or person
 Offer support

Diversity
 “The concept that people are unique with individual
differences stemming from race, ethnicity, gender,
socio-economic status, age & physical abilities”
 All must recognize the importance of diversity
 Focus on common goal that holds work group
together
 Providing quality patient outcomes
 Every person is unique & brings special qualities to the
job that influences their attitudes & opportunities to
contribute

Diversity
 Different perceptions result from different
experiences which can impede communication
 Characteristics of cultures create differential
perceptions
 No way to know all the cultural rules about people
 Effective communication is one way a diverse group
of people will work together to achieve the common
goal
 Culture of understanding, respect, & cooperation
encourages teamwork with its benefits

Diversity
 Regardless of differences, we strive shoulder
to shoulder…
 Teamwork is summed up in 5 words
“We believe in each other”

Personality Differences
 Personality tests
 Many out there
 Your personality impacts how you communicate with
and perceive others
 “What color is your personality?”
 Help you to
 Understand your core personality
 Discover what motivates you
 Read others easily and accurately
 Identify your natural strengths & overcome your limitations
 Improve your relationships with others
 Enhance your business performance

Personality Colors
Characteristic BLUE GOLD GREEN ORANGE
Strength Authenticity Duty Knowledge Skillfulness
Value
Compassion,
sympathy,
rapport
Dependability,
accountability,
Responsibility
Answers,
intelligence,
explanations
Skills, grace,
finesse,
charisma
Dislike
Hypocrisy,
deception,
insincerity
Disobedience,
non-conformity,
insubordination
Injustice and
unfairness
Rigidity,
authority
Express
Vivacity,
enthusiasm,
inspiration
Concern,
stability,
purpose
Coolness, calm
Optimism,
impatience,
eagerness,
confidence

Perception and Interpretation
Orange sees self as… Others see orange as…
Fun-loving, enjoys life Irresponsible
Spontaneous Flaky
Carefree Scattered

Perception and Interpretation
Green may see self as… Others see Green as…
98% right Arrogant
Tough-minded Heartless
Calm Cool, aloof, unfeeling

Perception and Interpretation
Gold may see self as… Others may see Gold as…
Stable Rigid
Dependable Boring
Organized Uptight

Perception and Interpretation
Blue may see self as… Others may see Blue as…
Caring, compassionate “bleeding heart”
Warm Overly-emotional
Empathetic, people
person
Too trusting

Bottom Line
 Be aware that perceptions plays a significant
role in effective communication
 To communicate effectively
 Listen
 Clarify or rephrase
 Articulate clearly
 Maintain composure
 Problem solve
 We all work for the same goal
 Quality Patient Outcomes!!!!

Professionalism
 Defined in Websters Dictionary
 “characterized by or conforming to the
technical or ethical standards of a profession :
exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and
generally businesslike manner in the
workplace”
 Professionals are proud of themselves and
the work they do
 “goes the extra mile”
 Is part of a team

Professionalism
 Conduct standards
 Require all employees to treat co-workers with
respect and courtesy, regardless of their personal
feelings toward one another
 Over ½ of those surveyed stated disrespect
prevented them from getting others to listen
to them or respect their professional opinion,
only 16% confronted their disrespectful
colleague

Professional CS technicians
 Positive attitude & pride
 Knowledge & skill
 Continuous improvement
 Contribute 100%
 Interested in helping others
 Know & exceed quality &
quantity standards
 Competent and effective
communicators
 Respect supervisors and
co-workers
 Are creative
 Self confident
 Courteous to co-workers
 Admit mistakes & learn from
them
 Sense of humor
 Does not promote gossip

Professional CS Technicians
Must
 Try to understand peers as individuals & incorporate
this understanding in how they interact with others
 Help other employees achieve their highest levels of
job satisfaction
 Increase their contributions to their team because it
benefits the team, facility & their profession
 Develop a genuine spirit of cooperation & teamwork
among themselves, their peers & those at higher
organizational levels
 Must accept some responsibility for & share in the
issues that affect the success of their department

Professionalism
 Quality service is a reflection of professionalism, &
requires maturity, self-esteem, competence,
confidence & a positive attitude
 Remember that respect is earned
 Give respect to earn respect
 When you show you are professional by your actions and
behavior you will earn the respect
 Takes a lot of commitment and effort to earn the respect of
others
 If you are truthful & upfront with people, it goes a long way
in gaining respect & trust
 Be your best in every situation
 The way you act reflects on your character

Improving Teamwork
To be successful every CS dept requires
people working in different positions
Individuals must work as part of a team
The work they do directly relate to others in the
department – decontamination impacts
assemblers who impacts sterilizer operators, etc
If work is not performed correctly the
consequences can be tragic
Staff cannot do their work without the help of
others
The working relationship between the CS and OR
The success or failure of the department is
dependent on staff helping each other

Teamwork is beneficial to the facility
Increases patient satisfaction
 How?
Improves productivity through increased staff
cooperation & reduced interpersonal competition
Increase employee’s job satisfaction
 How?
Improves the work environment by creating
common purpose for staff
 How?
Decrease job-related stress
 How?

Employee Satisfaction
 Less stressed
 Feel part of something bigger
 Working towards common goal
 Ensuring that everyone succeeds
 Morale of department increases

Teamwork Factors
Attitude
A proper one is the most important factor
necessary
Attitudes about their job, peers, & patients affect
their actions
An employee’s attitude is often influenced by co-
workers
If part of a team in which all get along, like their
job & facility & wants to provide good service, then
each staff member will most likely have a good
attitude
In contrast if even 1 member dislikes job,
supervisor, facility, & does not care about quality
of work – teamwork will suffer and morale will
decrease among all members

Teamwork Factors
 Cooperation
 To provide good service, one must be willing to help & work
with other employees
 Promptness
 When employee is late or does not show up it affects all
other staff members
 Remaining members have to work harder and/or goals
related to work quantity & quality will suffer
 Loyalty
 A good member of a team trusts co-workers & supervisors
 Co-workers & supervisors trust each team member

Teamwork
 Cross-functional teams – group of employees from
different departments that work together to resolve
operating problems
 How OR and CS staff work together to solve
instrumentation & equipment issues
 CS and other user departments as well
 Group decision-making is the next step & over time
cooperation rather than competition becomes common place
 Group members find satisfaction in & become committed to
working towards the groups’ success due to common goals
 Successful groups emphasize the development & attainment
of mutual goals

 Can you have great teamwork or great
customer service without effective
communication?

Different way of thinking
Factor CS Staff OR staff
Time Horizon
3hrs or more for routine inst
processing "STAT"
Customers
served CS has many customers
OR think they are the only
customer
Anticipation of
needs
CS believes OR should
anticipate what they need
OR staff believe we should
anticipate what they
need
Priority for inst
CS focus on how devices can
be cleaned
OR focus on how they are
used
Communication
"Tell me what you need and
when you need it"
"You should know what we
need and when we
need it"

Cooperation with Operating Room
Personnel
 CS and the OR work extremely closely together
 Outcome of every patient procedure depends on
effective communication & cooperation between
personnel in these two departments
 Both work within a fast-paced, ever-changing environment
& communication can break down & relationships can
become strained
 Relationship relies on mutual trust & respect
 Trust & respect is earned & actions and responses to
issues of employees in both depts build or erode the trust
necessary to reduce communication roadblocks

Cooperation with Operating
Room Personnel
 Differences between systems can create
communication challenges
 Slang terms, jargon, & nicknames used to describe medical
instrumentation & supplies may not be the same in both
departments
 Needs change often throughout the day & if info doesn’t
flow smoothly frustrations can increase & relationships
damaged

Cooperation with OR staff
Several ways to enhance communication
 Specific issue should be addressed first
 Broader tactic like a survey to identify & prioritize
communication roadblocks
 After specific issue is identified it should be addressed
without assigning blame to individuals or work groups
 Focus should be on identifying & correcting problems
so that they do not occur again – root cause analysis
By removing the personal element staff can
focus on the issues without allowing personal
frustrations & feelings to impact the problem
solving process

Cooperation with OR staff
 Communication should be on-going instead of
when an incident has occurred
 Joint projects can be completed
 Simple actions like showing appreciation for the efforts
& assistance of personnel in other departments can
help establish a bond between both groups

Team Approach
1. Listen
2. Clarify
3. Articulate: What do you
want? What are you willing
to give?
4. Maintain your composure
5. Problem solve  working
towards the same goal

Team Approach
A successful team plays on the individual members’
strengths, communicates well, and keeps their focus on
the ultimate goal.

 Remember that “perception is reality”
 Look at yourself in the mirror
 Are you letting your perceptions influence how
you interact with others?
 Others watch and learn from you

Motivation
 What motivates you to come to work?
 To do your best?
 To give 110%
 To go “above and beyond”
 Knowing that you touch and influence every
patient outcome!
 30 days / day
 30 patients / day
 150 patients / week
 7800 patients / year

Motivation
 “The will to win, the desire to succeed, the
urge to reach your full potential... these are
the keys that will unlock the door to personal
excellence”
Confucius
 “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself.
Whatever has to be done, it's always your
choice.”
Wayne Dyer

 “Act as if what you do makes a difference. It
does.”
William James
 “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.”
Aristotle
 “I've worked too hard and too long to let
anything stand in the way of my goals. I will
not let my teammates down and I will not let
myself down.”
Mia Hamm

 “Courage is what it takes to stand up and
speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit
down and listen”
 Winston Churchill

Questions?

 Thanks to my family
 Thanks to Integrated Medical Systems, Inc
 Thanks to all of my mentors